“The greatest threat to the Baltic Sea is the pollution produced by agriculture and forestry,” explained Ants Noot, Secretary-General from the Ministry of Agriculture. “Although intensive housing, transport and industry are also having a negative impact.” Representatives of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Russia and Sweden stressed the need for the development of an action plan to improve the state of the Baltic Sea which ministers from the Baltic nations will be able to sign at their forthcoming meeting in Krakow. Harry Liiv, Deputy Secretary-General from the Ministry of the Environment, added that the joint declaration underscores the role of each and every country in protecting its share of the Baltic coastline. “All of these countries have to do everything they can to reduce the amount of environmentally dangerous waste entering the Baltic Sea, and that means using not only national resources but also European Union funds.” The representatives at the meeting also decided to raise the question of the environmental state of the Baltic Sea in connection with the rural development plans developed in member states during their discussions of the results of the EU’s joint agriculture policy in 2008. Taking the environmental influences produced by more widespread adoption of biomass into account is also considered important, as is inter-sector cooperation in this area. For further information please contact: Ants Noot, Secretary-General, Ministry of Agriculture, +372 507 3971 Harry Liiv, Deputy Secretary-General, Ministry of the Environment, +372 501 1828 |
