Speech by President of the Republic of Finland Tarja Halonen at the WWF seminar "Wanted: The Baltic Sea – As good as new" in Stockholm 21 August 2003

The Baltic Sea region – From a common heritage towards regional sustainable development

The history of the Baltic Sea is largely a history of wars. But, of course, it is also much more. Like the other seas, the Baltic has been a trade route. Through it have flowed goods and cultural interaction. Also our renowned Nordic Vikings traded and took part in peaceful development.

During the Cold War the Baltic separated the countries and peoples of the region. The sea lost its natural role and divided more than it united. Today we can say the sea has regained its rightful role. It unites rather than divides.

The European Union’s enlargement next year will create a new situation in the Baltic, which will become to all intents and purposes an inland sea of the European Union. In this situation, the relationship between the EU and Russia will become an even more central matter in this shared region of ours.

From the very beginning we Finns have been building the European Union’s Northern Dimension policy with mutual dependence as our starting point. We take the view that when building the future of Northern Europe it is possible for both the Union – all of it rather than just its northern member states – and its partner countries, above all Russia, to find cooperative projects that can bring benefits to all.

We have looked for shared interests in several sectors. For example, with regard to the energy supply of whole Europe, it is crucially important that Russia’s vast energy resources can be transported to and used in the rest of our continent in a sustainable manner.

I believe that we shall also find a common interest with respect to the Baltic. Sea transport, fisheries and recreational use are factors that depend on and affect the condition of the sea. Our whole life here in the North depends on the condition of the Baltic and the factors that affect it. No one state can alone be responsible for the condition of the sea or for solving its problems. For that we need cooperation. Safe shipping, fisheries managed on a sustainable basis and recreational opportunities benefit everyone living on the shores of our sea. The pollution that industry, communities, agriculture and shipping cause affects adversely everyone.

The Baltic is one of the world’s most polluted seas and the situation is especially bad in the Gulf of Finland. All of the countries at the sea are to blame for this. In addition, some European countries without Baltic shorelines likewise bear part of the responsibility. Too many countries have in the past neglected the need to protect our shared sea and there are still many shortcomings with regard to commitment to protection-related decisions, not to mention implementation.

We know that far too large a nutrients load is flowing into the sea. We also know that measures are urgently needed, and that we shall have to wait a long time for their effects to show. We need measures now to reduce community, agricultural and industrial emissions if future generations are to have any chance at all to enjoy the Baltic.

My own country Finland is also responsible for the pollution load on the sea. There has been a debate on the internal load affecting Finnish coastal waters, and for which the blame lies largely with ourselves. However, we at this gathering can also be pleased with the Finnish Government’s special protection programme for the sea. It is an important step in the right direction.

All of us have grounds for self-criticism, but we Baltic Sea shore line states have a special need for cooperation. And in the future that need will be even greater. That is because, region’s economic growth can impose a further additional burden on the Baltic. However, this is not inevitable if we display a united will to take care of things in a different way.

Russia has featured a lot in Baltic cooperation in recent times. The heavy burden that the country bears as a result of neglect to protect the environment during the Soviet era, but also because of the present and future great opportunities, add to the expectations being focused on Russia. I hope Russia will see the situation with regard to environmental protection in the same light as others and make a full commitment to working to improve the state and future of the Baltic.

Still I want to emphasise yet again is that the contribution of no single country will be enough on its own; if we are to succeed, we need broader international cooperation.

Sea transport is an describing example of the conflicting nature of our interests. If well taken care of, it is both an economic and an environmentally-friendly alternative compared with many other forms of transport. When taken care of poorly, sea transport involves enormous risks. For example, the oil tanker Prestige, which sank off the Spanish coast last year, was a catastrophe for the environment. It is good to bear in mind that the vessel began its voyage in the Baltic, at the Latvian port of Ventspils. Let us imagine the kind of destruction that would have resulted if the Prestige had foundered during the early part of her voyage, while she was still in the Baltic. It is obvious even to a layperson that the devastation in an enclosed sea area in northern latitudes would have been even worse that it was off the Spanish coast in November.

Regrettably often, catastrophes are the result of unseaworthy vessels sailing with dangerous cargoes everywhere in the world’s oceans. Thus the financial interests of individual companies or states outweigh the interests of the natural environment that we all share. It is saddening and amazing that in a matter of this kind, which affects everyone, binding, sufficiently high-level quality norms for vessels sailing the world’s seas have not been accomplished.

Last winter many concerned people drew attention to the single-hulled oil tankers that were plying the Gulf of Finland in difficult ice conditions to collect oil from Russia. There was a close linkage between these oil transports, on the one hand, and the world political situation and political developments in the region, on the other. In a situation where war in Iraq was anticipated, the price of crude oil was particularly high and Russia had an interest in getting as much of it as possible to the world market.

We must not endanger the future of the Baltic because of global and regional disagreements. I warmly welcome Russia to join the other HELCOM countries in presenting an initiative to the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to have the Baltic designated as an especially sensitive maritime area. Traffic by single-hulled tankers in the Baltic should be brought to an end a lot earlier than 2015 as currently planned.

What could I do?

Fortunately, a large number of our fellow-citizens here in the North have already awakened to the importance of protecting nature. Nordic society has a democratic tradition. People can freely express their opinion in various stages of decision-making and it is also taken into consideration. The importance of civil society, which has become more active with the advance of globalization, is further increasing. We must develop our society in such a way that citizens’ awareness of the importance of sustainable development grows and that it has an influence on their own lifestyles.

People’s commitment to sustainable development is reflected and must be reflected also in social decision making. In my view, specifically environmental questions have been the factor that triggered the new global civic responsibility.

Nation-states are still the most important actors in bringing about international conventions and operational rules. But a political decision maker does not function in a diplomatic vacuum. The importance of one’s own country and civic action is very great. In addition, the practical significance of agreements, which are the result of long and often difficult negotiations, largely depends on how citizens act. It affects also the actions of the authorities.

Also this seminar owes a debt of gratitude to civic action. I would like in this conjunction to say a special word of thanks to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) for its active work in the interests of the natural environment in the Baltic and all over the world.