LRFrapport_2013015

3 Extended summary
12
Version 2, 15.04.2013
In October 2013, Swedish Environment Minister Lena Ek, together with the Ministers of the
Environment from the other states around the Baltic will – on behalf of their governments –
decide upon revised ecological objectives and reduction targets for nutrient inputs from the
catchment area to mitigate the problem of eutrophication. These decisions are taken within the
framework of the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM) and its Baltic Sea Action Plan (hereafter
BSAP). BSAP was launched in 2007 with Sweden as one of the main drivers and will now in
2013 connect directly to the implementation of the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive
(MSFD), in the sense that the BSAP objectives and reduction targets also become targets in
the MSFD.
However, there are some serious concerns with the BSAP process that unfortunately risk
leading to delays in the restoration of the Baltic and increasing costs more than necessary.
The four main concerns are described in the sections below, along with proposals from the
Federation of Swedish Farmers (LRF) for modifications of in the current Baltic Sea
eutrophication policy, in order to resolve these concerns. The first three issues relate to the
international process, while the fourth is primarily a domestic Swedish problem.
3.1 Internal loads of phosphorus
3.1.1 The problem
New research on eutrophication in the Baltic shows that the loads of nitrogen and phosphorus
since 1980-85 has decreased significantly overall, soon approaching the desired target levels
(Maximum Allowable Input; MAI) that the researchers have modelled in the framework of
the BSAP. This trend is very encouraging. Load reductions are, however, not an objective in
itself but means to reach an objective, namely, the restoration of the ecological status of the
Baltic Sea. The significant load reductions have not yet been matched with a similar
improvement of the ecological status, even if some signs of improvement have been noted. It
appears that to restore the Baltic Sea there is still much more to do and much more time