Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/1999-12-01-Speech-3-172"
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"en.19991201.14.3-172"2
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"Mr President, it has been shown that the amount of nutrients in the open sea area in the Gulf of Finland and in the vicinity of the shore generally increase as one moves eastwards, which is a reflection of the impact Russia has on the nutrients of the Baltic. Quite recently, however, extensive new data has been collected covering areas right in the vicinity of the coastline, in the shallow coves of the Baltic. No corresponding eastward growth in the amount of nutrients is discernible, but instead the areas with high levels of nutrients clearly point to local causes: agriculture, industry and the presence of summer cottages. There are especially high levels of nutrients in the vicinity of rivers flowing into the sea, which shows that large amounts of nitric and phosphoric compounds are being carried from the land to the sea.
Nutrients have a greater effect on the fairly closed ecosystem that exists along the coast than they have in open sea areas. For this reason, many areas of inland water near the coast need revitalising. The coastal areas are particularly strategic from the point of view of human activity and enjoyment. For this reason, it is vital to take action to substantially reduce the volumes of local effluent due to agriculture, housing or recreation.
For the protection of the Baltic we thus need on-going fine-tuning, with smaller-scale measures, which are also dealt with in Annexes III and IV of the Helsinki Convention now being discussed. The report that has been prepared recommends, in addition, that the Commission should produce an analysis of the possible effects of the changes on Union legislation. Furthermore, we should clarify whether the legislation that is being drafted, for example Agenda 2000, can have an impact on Union action under the Helsinki Convention.
The harmonisation of environmental considerations, viable agriculture, policies on livelihood, recreation and, for example, enlargement in a manner that is sustainable for the Baltic area, will naturally be a great challenge, both administratively and politically. We need a conscious attempt at coherence. Perhaps an initiative on the northern dimension could provide the comprehensive angle on the Baltic region we need to consider all these important areas of policy simultaneously and in a mutually compatible way.
I would also like to believe that, if it works well, the northern dimension would provide a forum to which the EU will find it appropriate to invite other key players as well, for example from the Baltic region. For example, the Nordic Council has a long history of shaping environmental policy in the Nordic countries and in neighbouring regions. The Nordic Council is involved in organising a parliamentary Baltic Conference, for all the countries of the Baltic to attend. It would be natural for the EU to embark on closer talks with these countries. The Nordic Council has shown initiative and expressed the wish to start such a dialogue with the EU. I hope that that the northern dimension will prove to be a good, viable model for an ecologically sustainable and comprehensive development of a policy for these areas, which can be used for other areas of the Union."@en1
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