Land and Sea - Saltsjöbaden 19-20 april 2007
International meeting on agricultural impact on the Baltic Sea and possible actions
Under the auspices of the Swedish chairmanship of the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS), high-level representatives from Ministries of Agriculture and Environment in the Member States of the CBSS gathered for the first time to discuss the environmental status of the Baltic Sea and the need for further actions. Several observer countries and international organizations were also present. The meeting was held in Saltsjöbaden, Stockholm 19-20 April under the title: Land and Sea: more cooperation, less eutrophication.
In the joint statement the high-level representatives from Ministries of Agriculture and Environment of the Member States of the CBSS recognized that the agricultural sector is one of the major sources of nutrient inputs to the Baltic Sea and agreed that there is need to take further national actions, additionally to make full use of existing instruments, to reduce nutrient leakage to the Baltic Sea. It was also agreed to prevent any local or regional increase in nutrient discharges into the Baltic Sea due to non-sustainable practices or measures. The joint statement acknowledged the urgent need for more cooperation at all levels in order to achieve a good environmental status in the Baltic Sea. Actions taken so far has not in all sectors and all regions been sufficient. The excessive load of nutrients constitute a serious threat to the marine environment. The environmental status of the Baltic Sea is so critical that further and targeted action to combat eutrophication is needed.
Additionally, the member states agreed to support the ongoing work in HELCOM to develop the Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP). The need to develop joint actions and disseminate results at farm and watershed levels in order to demonstrate sustainable solutions in practice was also highlighted. As a follow-up activity the Swedish government will support an international expert seminar on good-practices at farm level to reduce nutrient leakage to the Baltic Sea.
In the joint-statement European Member States also agreed to give input to the 2008 forthcoming "health-check" of the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), stating the importance of the marine environment concerning the content of e.g. the rural development programmes, and called upon the European Commission to address the specific problems of the Baltic Sea and enhance cross-sectoral co-operation in order to make policies mutually supportive.
