President Halonen in Hamburg: Rapid action is required to protect the Baltic Sea

President of the Republic Tarja Halonen is calling for the rapid implementation of the plan of action adopted by the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission (HELCOM), because nature will not wait. "The more we postpone protective measures, the more difficult and the more expensive they will become", President Halonen said in a speech she gave at the Überseeclub in Hamburg, Germany on Thursday, 8 May 2008. President Halonen noted that progress has been made and the will to save the Baltic Sea exists. The significance of the Baltic Sea as a transport route has grown, and increasing traffic brings with it a higher risk of accidents. According to President Halonen, improving safety at sea requires enhanced measures and joint efforts. Creating a joint maritime picture of the entire Baltic Sea for authorities in all the coastal states and introducing compulsory piloting for oil and chemical tankers would be good steps in this direction.

Grey seal off the coast of Porvoo. Photo: Lehtikuva.

President Halonen also emphasized that in order for the European Union's Baltic Sea Strategy to achieve tangible results, non-members need to be involved as well. This is particularly true of Russia, which is a major player in the Baltic Sea region. Partnerships under the EU's Northern Dimension have also produced concrete results and these should be further developed.

President Halonen and Dr Pentti Arajärvi visited Hamburg on 8-9 May 2008 during the annual Hafengeburtstag (Port Birthday) festival, at which President Halonen was the guest of honour. The Überseeclub is a prestigious forum for economic, political, scientific and cultural discussion. President Urho Kekkonen spoke there in 1979 on Finland as a European country and President Martti Ahtisaari in 1998 on the topic "Europe must renew itself".

On Friday, 9 May President Halonen opened the Finland-related portion of the festival. Finland was the festival's partner country this year. President Halonen also met with Mayor Ole von Beust and spoke at a meeting of the German-Finnish Chamber of Commerce during her stay in Hamburg.

Speech at the Überseeclub in Hamburg

Speech at the luncheon hosted by Ole von Beust, Mayor of Hamburg

Speech at the opening of the Finland Festival area on Kehrwiederspitze

Speech at the 30th anniversary celebration of the German-Finnish Chamber of Commerce in Hamburg