Convention on the Protection of Done at Helsinki 9 April 1992 Not in force Depositary: Finland Primary source citation: Copy of text provided by the Convention on the Protection of the Marine THE CONTRACTING PARTIES, CONSCIOUS of the indispensable values of the marine environment of the Baltic Sea Area, its exceptional hydrographic and ecological characteristics and the sensitivity of its living resources to changes in the environment; BEARING in mind the historical and present economic, social and cultural values of the Baltic Sea Area for the well-being and development of the peoples of that region; NOTING with deep concern the still ongoing pollution of the Baltic Sea Area; DECLARING their firm determination to assure the ecological restoration of the Baltic Sea, ensuring the possibility of self-regeneration of the marine environment and preservation of its ecological balance; RECOGNIZING that the protection and enhancement of the marine environment of the Baltic Sea Area are tasks that cannot effectively be accomplished by national efforts alone but by close regional co-operation and other appropriate international measures; APPRECIATING the achievements in environmental protection within the framework of the 1974 Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area, and the role of the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission therein; RECALLING the pertinent provisions and principles of the 1972 Declaration of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment and the 1975 Final Act of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE); DESIRING to enhance co-operation with competent regional organizations such as the International Baltic Sea Fishery Commission established by the 1973 Gdansk Convention on Fishing and Conservation of the Living Resources in the Baltic Sea and the Belts; WELCOMING the Baltic Sea Declaration by the Baltic and other interested States, the European Economic Community and co-operating international financial institutions assembled at Ronneby in 1990, and the Joint Comprehensive Programme aimed at a joint action plan in order to restore the Baltic Sea Area to a sound ecological balance; CONSCIOUS of the importance of transparency and public awareness as well as the work by non-governmental organizations for successful protection of the Baltic Sea Area; WELCOMING the improved opportunities for closer co-operation which have been opened by the recent political developments in Europe on the basis of peaceful co-operation and mutual understanding; DETERMINED to embody developments in international environmental policy and environmental law into a new Convention to extend, strengthen and modernize the legal regime for the protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area; HAVE AGREED as follows: Article 1 This Convention shall apply to the Baltic Sea Area. For the purposes of this Convention the "Baltic Sea Area" shall be the Baltic Sea and the entrance to the Baltic Sea bounded by the parallel of the Skaw in the Skagerrak at 57° 44.43'N. It includes the internal waters, i.e., for the purpose of this Convention waters on the landward side of the base lines from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured up to the landward limit according to the designation by the Contracting Parties. A Contracting Party shall, at the time of the deposit of the instrument of ratification, approval or accession inform the Depositary of the designation of its internal waters for the purpose of this Convention. Article 2 For the purposes of this Convention: 1. "Pollution" means introduction by man, directly or indirectly, of substances or energy into the sea, including estuaries, which are liable to create hazards to human health, to harm living resources and marine ecosystems, to cause hindrance to legitimate uses of the sea including fishing, to impair the quality for use of sea water, and to lead to a reduction of amenities; 2. "Pollution from land-based sources" means pollution of the sea by point or diffuse inputs from all sources on land reaching the sea waterborne, airborne or directly from the coast. It includes pollution from any deliberate disposal under the seabed with access from land by tunnel, pipeline or other means; 3. "Ship" means a vessel of any type whatsoever operating in the marine environment and includes hydrofoil boats, air-cushion vehicles, submersibles, floating craft and fixed or floating platforms; i) any deliberate disposal at sea or into the seabed of wastes or other matter from ships, other man-made structures at sea or aircraft; ii) b) any deliberate disposal at sea of ships, other man-made structures at sea or aircraft; "Dumping" does not include: i) the disposal at sea of wastes or other matter incidental to, or derived from the normal operations of ships, other man-made structures at sea or aircraft and their equipment, other than wastes or other matter transported by or to ships, other man-made structures at sea or aircraft, operating for the purpose of disposal of such matter or derived from the treatment of such wastes or other matter on such ships, structures or aircraft; 5. ii) placement of matter for a purpose other than the mere disposal thereof, provided that such placement is not contrary to the aims of the present Convention; "Incineration" means the deliberate combustion of wastes or other matter at sea for the purpose of their thermal destruction. Activities incidental to the normal operation of ships or other man-made structures are excluded from the scope of this definition; 6. 7. 8. "Oil" means petroleum in any form including crude oil, fuel oil, sludge, oil refuse and refined products; "Harmful substance" means any substance, which, if introduced into the sea, is liable to cause pollution; "Hazardous substance" means any harmful substance which due to its intrinsic properties is persistent, toxic or liable to bio-accumulate; 9. "Pollution incident" means an occurrence or series of occurrences having the same origin, which results or may result in a discharge of oil or other harmful substances and which poses or may pose a threat to the marine environment of the Baltic Sea or to the coastline or related interests of one or more Contracting Parties, and which requires emergency actions or other immediate response; 10. "Regional economic integration organization" means any organization constituted by sovereign states, to which their member states have transferred competence in respect of matters governed by this Convention, including the competence to enter into international agreements in respect of these matters; 11. The "Commission" means the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission referred to in Article 19. 1. Article 3 Fundamental principles and obligations The Contracting Parties shall individually or jointly take all appropriate legislative, administrative or other relevant measures to prevent and eliminate pollution in order to promote the ecological restoration of the Baltic Sea Area and the preservation of its ecological balance. 2. The Contracting Parties shall apply the precautionary principle, i.e., to take preventive measures when there is reason to assume that substances or energy introduced, directly or indirectly, into the marine environment may create hazards to human health, harm living resources and marine ecosystems, damage amenities or interfere with other legitimate uses of the sea even when there is no conclusive evidence of a causal relationship between inputs and their alleged effects. 3. In order to prevent and eliminate pollution of the Baltic Sea Area the Contracting Parties shall promote the use of Best Environmental Practice and Best Available Technology. If the reduction of inputs, resulting from the use of Best Environmental Practice and Best Available Technology, as described in Annex II, does not lead to environmentally acceptable results, additional measures shall be applied. 4. The Contracting Parties shall apply the polluter-pays principle. 5. The Contracting Parties shall ensure that measurements and calculations of emissions from point sources to water and air and of inputs from diffuse sources to water and air are carried out in a scientifically appropriate manner in order to assess the state of the marine environment of the Baltic Sea Area and ascertain the implementation of this Convention. 6. The Contracting Parties shall use their best endeavours to ensure that the implementation of this Convention does not cause transboundary pollution in areas outside the Baltic Sea Area. Furthermore, the relevant measures shall not lead either to unacceptable environmental strains on air quality and the atmosphere or on waters, soil and ground water, to unacceptably harmful or increasing waste disposal, or to increased risks to human health. 1. Article 4 This Convention shall apply to the protection of the marine environment of the Baltic Sea Area which comprises the water-body and the seabed including their living resources and other forms of marine life. 2. Without prejudice to its sovereignty each Contracting Party shall implement the provisions of this Convention within its territorial sea and its eternal waters through its national authorities. 3. This Convention shall not apply to any warship, naval auxiliary, military aircraft or other ship and aircraft owned or operated by a state and used, for the time being, only on government non-commercial service. However, each Contracting Party shall ensure, by the adoption of appropriate measures not impairing the operations or operational capabilities of such ships and aircraft owned or operated by it, that such ships and aircraft act in a manner consistent, so far as is reasonable and practicable, with this Convention. Article 5 Harmful substances The Contracting Parties undertake to prevent and eliminate pollution of the marine environment of the Baltic Sea Area caused by harmful substances from all sources, according to the provisions of this Convention and, to this end, to implement the procedures and measures of Annex I. 1. Article 6 Principles and obligations concerning pollution from land-based sources The Contracting Parties undertake to prevent and eliminate pollution of the Baltic Sea Area from land-based sources by using, inter alia, Best Environmental Practice for all sources and Best Available Technology for point sources. The relevant measures to this end shall be taken by each Contracting Party in the catchment area of the Baltic Sea without prejudice to its sovereignty. 2. The Contracting Parties shall implement the procedures and measures set out in Annex III. To this end they shall, inter alia, as appropriate co-operate in the development and adoption of specific programmes, guidelines, standards or regulations concerning emissions and inputs to water and air, environmental quality, and products containing harmful substances and materials and the use thereof. 3. Harmful substances from point sources shall not, except in negligible quantities, be introduced directly or indirectly into the marine environment of the Baltic Sea Area, without a prior special permit, which may be periodically reviewed, issued by the appropriate national authority in accordance with the principles contained in Annex III, Regulation 3. The Contracting Parties shall ensure that authorized emissions to water and air are monitored and controlled. 4. If the input from a watercourse, flowing through the territories of two or more Contracting Parties or forming a boundary between them, is liable to cause pollution of the marine environment of the Baltic Sea Area, the Contracting Parties concerned shall jointly and, if possible, in co-operation with a third state interested or concerned, take appropriate measures in order to prevent and eliminate such pollution. 1. Article 7 Environmental impact assessment Whenever an environmental impact assessment of a proposed activity that is likely to cause a significant adverse impact on the marine environment of the Baltic Sea Area is required by international law or supra-national regulations applicable to the Contracting Party of origin, that Contracting Party shall notify the Commission and any Contracting Party which may be affected by a transboundary impact on the Baltic Sea Area. 2. The Contracting Party of origin shall enter into consultations with any Contracting Party which is likely to be affected by such transboundary impact, whenever consultations are required by international law or supranational regulations applicable to the Contracting Party of origin. 3. Where two or more Contracting Parties share transboundary waters within the catchment area of the Baltic Sea, these Parties shall cooperate to ensure that potential impacts on the marine environment of the Baltic Sea Area are fully investigated within the environmental impact assessment referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article. The Contracting Parties concerned shall jointly take appropriate measures in order to prevent and eliminate pollution including cumulative deleterious effects. 1. Article 8 Prevention of pollution from ships In order to protect the Baltic Sea Area from pollution from ships, the Contracting Parties shall take measures as set out in Annex IV. 2. The Contracting Parties shall develop and apply uniform requirements for the provision of reception facilities for ship-generated wastes, taking into account, inter alia, the special needs of passenger ships operating in the Baltic Sea Area. Article 9 The Contracting Parties shall, in addition to implementing those provisions of this Convention which can appropriately be applied to pleasure craft, take special measures in order to abate harmful effects on the marine environment of the Baltic Sea Area caused by pleasure craft activities. The measures shall, inter alia, deal with air pollution, noise and hydrodynamic effects as well as with adequate reception facilities for wastes from pleasure craft. Article 10 Prohibition of incineration 1. The Contracting Parties shall prohibit incineration in the Baltic Sea Area. 2. Each Contracting Party undertakes to ensure compliance with the provisions of this Article by ships: b) loading, within its territory or territorial sea, matter which is to be incinerated; or c) believed to be engaged in incineration within its internal waters and territorial sea. 3. In case of suspected incineration the Contracting Parties shall co-operate in investigating the matter in accordance with Regulation 2 of Annex IV. Article 11 1. The Contracting Parties shall, subject to exemptions set forth in paragraphs 2 and 4 of this Article, prohibit dumping in the Baltic Sea Area. 2. Dumping of dredged material shall be subject to a prior special permit issued by the appropriate national authority in accordance with the provisions of Annex V. |