The EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea

Region and Policy Area Nutri

8 February 2018, Project BEST Kick-off

Sanni Turunen

Ministry of the Environment, Finland

EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region

EUSBSR: key facts

• first macro-regional strategy in

the EU (since 2009);

• 8 EU Member States (MSs), 85

million people (17 % of EU

population);

• based on long history of

cooperation;

• better and more effective use of

existing policies, funding,

institutions and legislation;

• addresses common challenges of

the region;

https://youtu.be/JY2yTq7fwkw

EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region

Objectives, Policy Areas and Horizontal Actions

95 % of the Baltic Sea areasuffers from eutrophicationdue to inputs of nitrogen and phosphorus.

Signs of improvement, such as decreases in chlorophyll-a concentrations, are seen in some parts.

PA Nutri aims to reducenutrient inputs to the sea to acceptable levels

EUSBSR policy area Nutri

HELCOM (2017): First version of the ‘State of the Baltic Sea’ report – June 2017 – to be updated in 2018. Available at: http://stateofthebalticsea.helcom.fi/

• Coordinated jointly by Finland and Poland

• Steering Committee consists of 8 EU member states,

European Commission and HELCOM representatives

• Supports the implementation of EU MSFD, WFD and

HELCOM BSAP

• Enhances cooperation within the region, across country

and sector borders, also with RU & BY

• Promotes development of strategic flagship projects and

their financing

• Ensures sharing of projects’ results and good practices

EUSBSR policy area Nutri

PA Nutri key facts

PA Nutri actions

1. Managing nutrients more

efficiently

2. Improving waste water

treatment

3. Facilitate cross-sectoral

policy-oriented dialogue

4. Improve nutrient load data

5. Cooperate with non-EU

Member States

6. Investigate cost-efficient

nutrient reduction

mechanisms

EUSBSR Policy Area Nutri

Source: DCE – Aarhus University

Sources of nutrients to the Sea:

• actions of the EUSBSR are implemented by means of flagships;

• a single project, a set of projects operating in the same field or a

process;

• demonstrates the process and progress of the EUSBSR, and may

serve as pilot example for desired change;

• have a high macro-regional impact;

• listed in the Annex to the EUSBSR Action Plan.

Flagship of the EUSBSR

A flagship:

Flagship of the EUSBSR

Flagship benefits

EUSBSR policy area Nutri

PA Nutri ongoing flagships

Leader: John Nurminen Foundation, Finland

• 2015-2018, Interreg Central Baltic

• Development of Nutribute platform for voluntary nutrient offsets

in the Baltic Sea region

• Pilots:

– Gypsum: gypsum treatment of fields to reduce phosphorus load

from agriculture

– Fish: recycling of phosphorus from the Sea by targeted fishing

of cyprinids and creating a market for consumers

– Mussel: removal of nutrients by harvesting mussels

– Nutrient Exchange: match-making to realise direct nutrient

exchange between industry

http://nutritradebaltic.eu/

PA Nutri flagships

NutriTrade – Nutrient Offsetting for the Baltic Sea

Leader: Union of the Baltic Cities, Sustainable Cities Commission c/o

City of Turku, Finland

• 2016-2019, Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme

• To improve and develop the capacity of energy efficiency and

sludge handling in wastewater management in the Baltic Sea

region

• Main activities:

– to increase capacity and structure lifelong learning among

wastewater treatment operators and experts;

– to operate wastewater treatment plants more resource-

efficiently, to develop and improve energy management;

– to develop and improve sludge management.

http://www.iwama.eu/

PA Nutri flagships

IWAMA – Interactive Water Management

Leader: Region Östergötland, Sweden

• 2016-2019, Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme

• To establish fully operational mussel farms to counteract

eutrophication and create new blue growth opportunities

• Main activities:

– to establish six farms in different parts of the Baltic Sea;

– to clarify environmental, legal and regulatory aspects;

– process mussels into fish and poultry feed.

https://www.submariner-network.eu/projects/balticbluegrowth

PA Nutri flagships

Baltic Blue Growth – Initiating full scale mussel farming

in the Baltic Sea

Leader: WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme

• 2016 -, Swedish Institute

• To develop consumer meat guides in all Baltic Sea countries to

help businesses and consumers to make a conscious choice when

buying or eating meat products

• To take into account effects to the environment and climate

change

• The meat guide is already released in Germany, Sweden and

Finland

http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/where_we_work/baltic/solution/consume_project.cfm

PA Nutri flagships

CONSUME – Consumer guide for sustainably produced

meat

sanni.j.turunen@ym.fi

http://groupspaces.com/eusbsr-nutrient-inputs/

http://www.balticsea-region-strategy.eu/