BALTIC SEAENVIRONMENT PROCEEDINGS No. 59 - Helcom

chance to give their opinion and prepare for expected decisions. Thus
the preparation often serves the implementation. The preparations
also have a function of getting the parties tied to the goals. At
least the possibilities to implement the new obligations are for the
most part confirmed before the Commission's decision, after which the
implementation itself is a rather easy task.
However, as we have seen, the preparatory phase preceding the (poli-
tical) ministerial decisions has not followed normal routes. Some of
these agreements are not well prepared and their implementation is
beyond our possibilities and, in the case of the universal 50 % goal,
even beyond our rational thinking. In these cases we have to agree
upon the interpretation of the goals, or at least give as good an ex-
planation as possible on our national interpretation and our national
undertakings and achievements.
The involvment of many experts and interests will guarantee the best
knowledge to base the decisions upon. It will give you arguments in
finding the right compromises during the preparatory work and in
defending the goals and decisions during the implementation. Further-
more it will help to find the right ways of implementation.
The importance of national negotiations before and after interna-
tional decisions cannot be overestimated. In some cases the nego-
tiations may have a more or less informative character. The aims of
the negotiations is; in addition to the above said, to help the
understanding of the nature of the international work, to rise common
concern and to make different parties acquainted to the authorities
involved in the international negotiations.
At the Finnish National Board of Waters and the Environment we find
the internal intermitting of information and training important.
Since 1989 several seminars on international items have been arranged
for the district organization and several courses to improve the
knowledge in languages have been held.
To intermit information and as a part of the enforcement all main
decisions and recommendations ought to be translated into the na-
tional language. This is, however, a very expensive task and a task
for experts in the field, and also in Finland this has caused prob-
lems. As Swedish holds the position of the second official language
we sometimes find it helpful to look into the translation to the
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