Sweden set to take over the Chairmanship of HELCOM

Helsinki, 24 June (HELCOM Information Service) – On July 1, Sweden will assume the rotating Chairmanship of the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM), the intergovernmental organization of the nine Baltic Sea coastal countries and the European Union, working to protect the Baltic marine environment from all sources of pollution and to ensure the safety of navigation in the region. The Government of Sweden has nominated Ms. Gabriella Lindholm as Chairlady of HELCOM. Ms. Lindholm is currently serving as Ambassador for the Marine Environment at the Swedish Ministry of Environment.

The incoming Chairlady today highlighted HELCOM's key priorities for the next two years. “The Swedish Chairmanship of HELCOM will make it a priority to facilitate the implementation of the Baltic Sea Action Plan to radically reduce pollution to the marine environment and restore its good ecological status by 2021,” stated Ms. Lindholm. She stressed that the outcome of the Moscow HELCOM Ministerial Meeting held in May 2010 reinforced the joint commitment of the coastal countries to recreate a healthy Baltic Sea. “It has created a momentum for regional action to carry out the National Implementation Programmes to achieve the objective of the plan,” said Ms. Lindholm.

The success of the programmes will largely depend on the availability and allocation of administrative and financial resources, said Ms. Lindholm. However, she noted that in order to ensure sufficient and timely funding national funding could be combined with resources from international and regional financing institutions, such as the NIB and NEFCO technical assistance funds. Sweden will also prioritize continued and increased involvement of stakeholders in the implementation of the Baltic Sea Action Plan.

The Swedish Chairmanship would like to see continued support from the highest political level for the effective implementation of the Baltic Sea action Plan. The Baltic Sea Action Summit held in Helsinki in February 2010 provided a crucial boost to the common efforts to rescue the troubled sea, and confirmed that HELCOM and the Baltic Sea Action Plan stand high on the political agenda, reminded Ms. Lindholm. As countries are going into the implementation phase of the actions to achieve the goals in the Baltic Sea Action Plan, Sweden would like to see more regular attention from the highest political level, said HELCOM’s incoming Chairlady.

The Swedish Chairmanship of HELCOM will give priority to strengthening the role of HELCOM as the Baltic Sea environmental focal point and policy-maker in the region. “HELCOM should reconfirm itself as a strong, powerful and modern regional organization,” said Ms. Lindholm. “Close involvement of different sectors such as agriculture, fisheries and shipping as well as the business and civil society in the HELCOM work will be on top of the list.”

Sweden will work to strengthen the role of HELCOM in the implementation of the EU policies relevant for the Baltic Sea region. The EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, adopted during the Swedish presidency of the EU, is a major policy initiative to give more EU attention to the Baltic Sea region. The strategy aims at strengthening the implementation of the Baltic Sea Action Plan. Regional marine commissions, like HELCOM, will also play a key role in the implementation of the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive. During the Swedish Chairmanship of HELCOM priority will be given to ensure that the Baltic Sea Action Plan and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive go hand in hand, said Ms. Lindholm.

Additionally, Sweden will work to ensure that HELCOM’s decisions are based on the best available scientific knowledge. “Good monitoring efforts are crucial,” said Ms. Lindholm. “Solid scientific data is the point of departure for the future work of HELCOM and for the analysis of the results of the member countries’ activities and efforts. The credibility of HELCOM should be based on reliable data, good sampling methods and analysis, as well as models to be used by authorities in assessing the environmental situation. Strengthened cooperation in this field will benefit the results of HELCOM’s activities.”

Ms. Gabriella Lindholm is succeeding Mr. Igor Maydanov of Russia, who chaired the Helsinki Commission in 2008-2010. The Chairmanship of HELCOM rotates between the Baltic Sea coastal countries and the European Union according to the alphabetical order every two years. Ms. Lindholm will lead, as Chairlady, the work of HELCOM up until 30 June 2012.

CURRICULUM VITAE

Ms. Maria Gabriella Lindholm, born in Stockholm 9 March 1951.

1. Education

Bachelor of Arts, University of Uppsala, Sweden                                              1975

(Political Science and Economic History)

Master, Justus Liebig University, Giessen, Fed. Republic of Germany              1977

(Political Science and History)

2. Career

Ministry for Foreign Affairs                                                                                  1978

Second Secretary, Swedish Embassy, Havana                                                   1979-81

Second Secretary, Swedish Embassy, Brasilia                                                    1981-82

Second Secretary, Swedish Embassy, Buenos Aires                                           1983

Head of Section for Latin America, Ministry for Foreign Affairs (MFA)                1986-88

Head of Department for Latin America                                                                1986-88

Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA)

Private Secretary to the Minister for Int. Development Cooperation, MFA         1988-90

Deputy Director, Department of Intern. Development Cooperation, MFA          1990-92

Counsellor, Political Department, Swedish Embassy, Bonn                                  1992-94

Director, Department for Central and Eastern Europe; MFA                               1994-95

Private Secretary to the Minister for Foreign Affairs                                           1995-99

Deputy Director General, American Department, MFA                                        1999-2000

Ambassador and Permanent Representatives to the UN,                                    2000-2005

Swedish Embassy, Vienna       

Ambassador, Swedish Embassy, Lisbon                                                                2005-2008

Ambassador for Marine Environment                                                                     2008-                  

3. Languages

English, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese                                      

Note to Editors:

The Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission, usually referred to as the Helsinki Commission, or HELCOM, is an intergovernmental organization of all the nine Baltic Sea countries and the EU which works to protect the marine environment of the Baltic Sea from all sources of pollution. 

HELCOM is the governing body of the "Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area," known as the Helsinki Convention.

For more information, please contact:

Mr. Nikolay Vlasov

Information Secretary

HELCOM

Tel: +358 (0)46 850 9196

Fax: +358 (0)207 412 645

E-mail: nikolay.vlasov@helcom.fi