Water and seas

Many of Swedens coastal and sea areas are strongly affected by pollution, overfishing and physical exploitation. A new unified EU directive for water is intended make work to protect Europes water more effective. Marine environment problems are also transboundary problems, and solutions can only be achieved through common action.

Good ground water quality requires long-term work because it often takes decades for improvements to have an impact. Action is now being taken to incorporate the EU Framework Directive in the field of water policy, which gives ground water stronger protection across the board. The purpose of the Directive often just called the Water Framework Directive is to make work to protect Europes water clearer and more effective.

The most important change in connection with the introduction of the Framework Directive is that work on water protection and management issues will now be based on river basins, natures own dividing lines for the flow of water. In Swedens case, this means the compulsory adoption of a holistic approach to the protection and use of our water resources as well as a review of our organisation for water management.

Seas in crisis

The situation of our seas is serious. In Swedens case, this applies to the Baltic and our western sea, i.e. the North Sea including Kattegatt and Öresund. Today the very many burdens on the sea include discharges of oil and ballast water from ships, high levels of toxic substances and eutrophication as well as overfishing and the impact of fishing equipment on the seabed environment. Although a great deal has been done in recent years to reduce environmental pressure on the Baltic and the North Sea, it is not enough. Our seas are in crisis and in ecological imbalance.

In June 2003 the Commission on the Marine Environment presented a report (Swedish Government Official Reports 2003:72, separate summary available in English) that sets out the Commissions analysis of the serious state of the marine environment and presents options for future strategy for consideration by the Government. Enhanced cooperation between the countries affected will be needed to solve the problems.