Speech by President of the Republic Tarja Halonen at the St. Petersburg wastewater treatment facility ceremony in St. Petersburg, 28 June 2011

(check against delivery)

How it all began? Ten years ago I knew St. Petersburg, but I knew very little about city’s water management. It was in 2005 that I had the first opportunity to get to know more about Vodokanal and their future plans.

By that time, there had already been a lot of discussion in Finland about the state of the Baltic Sea. People were particularly concerned about blue-green algae, which was increasing because of nutrients discharged into the sea, and particularly of phosphorus. We knew reasonably well why this was happening, but it was not until 2005 that I myself learned of means by which we could help our sick Sea get better. This is valuable information to all of us.

Prevention is still the key. Good waste management, and wastewater management in particular, is crucial. Agriculture, including fertilisation, is an area of human activity which is important in all countries around the Baltic Sea – and which has a direct impact on the state of the Sea.

Even back then – years ago, we realised that although there was plenty to do in Finland on this front, international cooperation among the Baltic Sea countries would also be needed. And not just between the states: in addition to the public sector, civic organisations and enterprises would also have to be brought on board. As a matter of fact, everyone – every single person – should learn to realise the importance of our common Sea.

Back then, cooperation was already being launched in many dimensions and at many levels, and we have all helped breathe life into this ever since. A few examples may be enough for now:

As our partners here have already said and will further explain, our cooperation has grown and strengthened splendidly. The Finnish environmental authorities and the St. Petersburg waterworks, Vodokanal, have been working together for several years.

The John Nurminen Foundation and the Clean Baltic Sea project, which started as a citizens’ initiative, have helped build phosphorus removal systems at the major wastewater treatment plants in St. Petersburg. This, the Northern Wastewater Treatment Plant, is the last in line to be upgraded.

The developments in St. Petersburg have been an encouraging experience also to me personally in environmental cooperation around the Baltic Sea. In 2010, at the Baltic Sea Action Summit in Helsinki, some 150 commitments for taking better care of the Sea were recorded. Fulfilment of these commitments can be monitored online at the website www.bsag.fi.

The following summit will be hosted by Russia, as promised by Prime Minister Putin, and possibly as soon as next year. It will probably take place after my term as President, but it is my wish that I can in some way continue to contribute to Baltic cooperation and to meet my friends in St. Petersburg – also as the co-chair of the UN High-level Panel on Global Sustainability.

I would like to congratulate you on the concrete results and thank you for the cooperation.