HELCOM announces the elimination of four major pollution hot spots in the Baltic Sea area

Helsinki, 14 June (HELCOM Information Service) – The Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission (HELCOM) today officially announced the elimination of four major pollution hot spots in the Baltic Sea drainage area, located in Lithuania.

“This is a very welcome development, confirming the strong commitment of the HELCOM Member States to eliminate all Hot Spots in the Baltic Sea catchment area,” says Anne Christine Brusendorff, HELCOM’s Executive Secretary. “The remedial actions at the Hot Spots should be seen as one of the major steps towards achieving a cleaner marine environment which is the ultimate target of the overarching Baltic Sea Action Plan to radically reduce pollution to the marine environment and restore its good ecological status by 2021,” adds Brusendorff.

The continuing recovery of major pollution hot spots in the Baltic Sea coastal countries is an important issue on the Agenda of the two-day Meeting of the Heads of Delegation of the HELCOM Member States which opened today in Helsinki. The Meeting reviewed progress in the reduction of pollution from several municipal and industrial hot spots in Lithuania and decided to delete them from the Baltic Sea's major polluters list. They include wastewater treatment plants in Kaunas, Kedainiai, Palanga, and also the former Mazeikiai oil refinery - Orlen Lietuva. Experts have already checked their compliance with relevant HELCOM Recommendations following remedial actions.

The Hot Spots List of the most significant point sources of pollution around the Baltic Sea was first drawn up under the HELCOM Baltic Sea Joint Comprehensive Environmental Action Programme (JCP) in 1992. The hot spots were designated by an international group of scientists, engineers, environmental managers, financers and government representatives, according to practical economic considerations as well as the seriousness of their impact on the environment and human health. With the latest deletion of four Lithuanian hot spots, currently a total of 68 hot spots and sub-hot spots remain on the list of the Baltic Sea's most significant pollution sources, following the deletion of 94 of the earlier identified 162 hot spots/sub-hot spots.

Additionally, the Heads of Delegation are discussing the Criteria for the HELCOM Green Baltic Spots including possible nomination of relevant sites to the List. The 2010 HELCOM Moscow Ministerial Meeting agreed to promote the best national examples through the establishment of the List of Green Baltic Spots in contrary to the famous Baltic Sea “hot spots” representing major pollution sources in the area.

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 and to ensure safety of navigation.

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