Introduction 5 Chapter 1: a description of the organisational structure set up for the implementation of the Strategy 6
|
|  Yüklə 7.65 Mb.
|
Brief summary of overall progress: The first main task of the Priority Area Coordinator included the attempt to increase the level of ambition of the two Flagship Projects included under this Priority Area in the original version of the Action Plan. The PAC felt that while one of the two existing projects was too broad, covering virtually the same ground as the Priority Area itself, more varied foci were needed to make progress. This review process has resulted in a total of eight Flagship Projects being included under PA 3 in the December 2010 version of the Action Plan. The HELCOM Secretariat provided significant support throughout the process, and several of the new projects will also be HELCOM projects. The PAC has established a steering group for the area, and all countries including Russia and a HELCOM representative have assigned a contact person. All countries except Russia and Denmark have participated in one of the two steering group meetings held so far. The main task of the group is to support the overall development of the Priority Area, for instance by ensuring the participation of all relevant national stakeholders. The PAC points out that an important next step for the area includes promoting cross-cutting links among Priority Areas. This is of great importance to Priority Area 3, as the best way to reduce the use and impact of hazardous substances, financially as well as environmentally, is by not using them in products or in industrial processes – i.e. to not choose hazardous substances already at the design stage. Collaboration with Priority Areas 7 (research and innovation), 8 (Small Business Act) and 12 (education) is seen as particularly relevant for Priority Area 3. Initial contact has been made. Financing for three of the eight Flagship Projects remains a concern due to the lack of new calls from larger funding organisations. The PAC highlights in the implementation report that an important added value of the Strategy, mentioned by scientists working within the field, is that it provides long-term agreement on priorities. This opens up possibilities for a more strategic development of research, where projects after their finalisation evolve into new projects within prioritised areas, and where existing networks are more easily maintained. This added value of the Strategy is for instance demonstrated by FPs 3.5 and 3.6. A website has been created: http://www.naturvardsverket.se/EUSBSR.
The actions stated under Priority Area 3 have so far been carried out through the Flagship Projects (see below), and therefore not reported on separately. Given that the Flagship Projects of this Priority Area at the start of the Strategy were considered less developed compared to other Priority Areas, the PAC’s focus in the first year has been on identifying relevant Flagships and getting them running. Strategic actions:
Cooperative actions:
Flagship Projects (as examples):
Report: The pan-Baltic Sea BEAST project is targeted at developing integrated measures for chemical pollution and tools needed to detect and assess anthropogenic pressure on the Baltic Sea marine ecosystem. The project tests and validates integrated monitoring and assessment approaches for their applicability in the Baltic Sea, carefully taking into account its specific abiotic and biotic characteristics. Using sub-regional assessments, the aim is to provide scientifically-based recommendations for the implementation of an integrated strategy for monitoring chemical-biological effects, and to test and develop approaches to assess Ecosystem Health. To establish links between responses related to chemical pollution within the individuals and effects observed at higher biological levels, an integrated “multi-level toolbox” will be generated, including notably biomarkers as sensitive diagnostic tools. Capacity-building, networking, exchange and intercalibration of methodologies, and training, are other integral parts of the project. Over the past two years, all major field sampling campaigns have been executed. A project website (www.environment.fi/syke/beast) has been established and is planned to be improved in 2011. A joint BEAST/BALCOFISH project database (BonusHAZ) has been established and is currently being used for compilation of data from both these BONUS+ projects and other relevant sources. The project and its preliminary results have been presented at a large number of international and national scientific and stakeholder events as well as expert groups of international organisations such as ICES and HELCOM. The BEAST Steering Group has decided to apply for further funding for the continuation of the BEAST network and research activities, with an increased number of scientific partners/network companions and updated targets and work plan.
Report: The overall aim of the project is to update existing information on chemical weapons dumped in the Baltic Sea and to develop additional recommendations on how to further proceed with chemical weapons. To avoid duplication of work, the project will be carried out through the work of the HELCOM ad hoc Expert Group on dumped chemical munitions (“HELCOM MUNI”). During the first meeting of the group in November 2010, the HELCOM Contracting Parties agreed to submit national reports to the HELCOM Secretariat by 1 April 2011. The group works in cooperation with International Dialogue on Underwater Munitions (IDUM) through knowledge exchange as well as with the project “Modelling of ecological risks related to sea-dumped chemical weapons” (MERCW). Following a request from the Flagship Project leader, the PAC has issued a Letter of Commitment for the project CHEMSEA (Chemical Munitions Search and Assess) led by the Institute of Oceanology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, in order to send in an application under the 4th Call of the Baltic Sea Region Programme 2007-13. The project would be included in the scope of the Flagship Project objectives. One challenge encountered by this project relates to involving all BSR countries in the work of HELCOM MUNI. During the first meeting of the group, representatives from Estonia, Finland and the Russian Federation were absent. At various HELCOM meetings, the Polish Head of Delegation will systematically call on all Baltic States to participate in HELCOM MUNI. The following steps will involve the submission of national reports on the set of tasks for HELCOM MUNI, concerning for instance the revision and updating of the existing information on dumped chemical munitions; and the development of relevant recommendations/checking whether or not the Recommendations from HELCOM’s “CHEMU report” are followed satisfactorily. An estimate of the costs involved in cleaning up chemical weapons, as well as of the expected date of finalisation, will be possible after the submission of the national reports.
Report: The project addresses the problem of sustainable management of contaminated sediments. The aim is to provide support for dredging actions all around the Baltic Sea Region. The objective will be reached through the development of a guideline for the management of contaminated sediments, including sustainability assessment practices and decision support tools regarding handling alternatives, including disposal both at sea and on land, and also beneficial use of treated dredged masses as well as treatment technologies, including field tests. A long-term network will be created through interaction with key target groups and a participatory approach to all work packages. During the first year of the project, a website was for instance created, www.smocs.eu, and a site demonstration of a treatment technology in a port carried out. During 2011 and 2012, activities planned include the development of assessment and decision support tools, field tests and workshops.
Report: The project will develop a set of core indicators to follow up the effectiveness of the implementation of HELCOM's Baltic Sea Action Plan. The core indicators will also support the EU Member States in the Baltic Sea Region in implementing the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive. The work will particularly focus on core indicators for the status of the Baltic Sea in relation to hazardous substances and biodiversity. The Flagship status of the project only applies to the expert work on hazardous substances, and not that on biodiversity. The Expert Group for Hazardous Substances proposed in its last meeting (2–3 February 2011) a set of core indicators for hazardous substances and their biological effects. The core set currently includes 14 core indicators and 15 candidate core indicators. The next meeting, 31 May–1 June, will propose the final set of core indicators. The meeting also agreed that the core indicators would be assessed on a common template, to be presented on the HELCOM website, and updated annually or biannually. The core indicators for hazardous substances require quantitative targets, which reflect the good environmental status. The CORESET Expert Group has elaborated on the target setting and used available environmental quality standards. All the proposed core indicators now have a quantitative target. Some of the candidate core indicators have inadequate support from the existing monitoring programmes, but the project will feed that information to the ongoing review of the HELCOM monitoring programmes. The CORESET project will submit a proposal for the core indicators for hazardous substances and their effects to the project Advisory Board in September 2011 after which they will be presented at the meeting of the HELCOM Monitoring and Assessment group (MONAS) in October. Finally, the core indicators will be submitted for national processes in October 2011, for additional use in implementing the Marine Strategy Framework Directive.
Report: The main objectives of COHIBA are the following: - Identification of sources of selected hazardous substances in countries around the Baltic Sea - Development of innovative toxicity-based cost-effective monitoring - Analysis of substance-specific flow patterns into the Baltic Sea - Development of recommendations for management measures (including technical and non technical measures) to reduce emissions of hazardous substances into the Baltic Sea - Knowledge transfer of best practices and capacity-building The hazardous substances segment of the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan addresses 11 hazardous substances and substance groups, which are also target substances of the project. The project has compiled initial summaries of sources and pathways of selected hazardous substances based on national surveys in Baltic Sea EU countries. Results of a wide toxicity testing programme have been developed into a proposal on how a whole effluent assessment could be adopted in the Baltic Sea Region. An inventory of methods to reduce emissions using both technical and non-technical measures was carried out as a basis for evaluating methods and their cost-efficiency. Information exchange, especially in the eastern part of the Baltic Sea area, has started to efficiently utilise project results in a discussion with stakeholders. In 2011, the project will concentrate on further development of the analysis of sources, flows and inputs in the Baltic Sea and on management methods for reducing emissions. Guidance documents on the selected substance groups and recommendations on measures to reduce the emissions of these substances will be provided. A final COHIBA seminar will give a forum for discussions on 11-12 October 2011 in Helsinki, Finland. Project reports will be finalised by early 2012. Possible funding sources for additional work after early 2012 will be investigated.
Report: There is heavy pressure to find ways to manage hazardous substances sustainably in the Baltic Sea Region, as demanded by the BSAP and the EU's marine strategy. This requires coordinated efforts by all countries in the BSR. The Flagship proposal InnoMaHaz is supported by a network of experts from all countries bordering the Baltic Sea, including Russia and Belarus. The aim of the project is to identify a number of relevant hazardous substances not yet targeted by the BSAP (e.g. pharmaceuticals), and to investigate the sources and emissions of these substances in the BSR in regionalised SFAs. This will be supported by a screening study on relevant sources tailor-made for each substance. Based on this work, measures to cost-effectively and sustainably reduce the emission of hazardous substances will be evaluated, again with a strong regional aspect taking into account the different socio-economic boundary conditions and the different technological baselines. Measures to be evaluated include, amongst others, innovative measures to target emissions from the urban stock of hazardous substances. In the future, the lessons learned from tackling the hazardous substances problem in the BSR could help to form a strong regional innovation system regarding hazardous substances management. As hazardous substances are a growing concern in many areas worldwide, there is also an opportunity for the BSR to become a technology leader in a growing global market. This refers not only to technologies but also to know-how of implementation and adaptability of technical and non-technical measures to different boundary conditions. The project is still in the planning state. The aim is to submit a proposal early 2012.
Report: The project aims at reducing the use of hazardous chemicals in the Baltic Sea Region, by including substances such as those mentioned in the Recommendations on hazardous substances made through the Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) to the REACH candidate list. REACH, with its provisions to restrict chemicals, provides a powerful tool for strengthening the ongoing HELCOM work on one of its main objectives – protecting the Baltic Sea from hazardous substances, including endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). The project is in a start-up phase and funds have been applied for by the leading coordinator of the project (ChemSec) from the Swedish EPA to initialise the cooperation required among the planned participants in the Baltic region (Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Finland).This start-up project will also explore the possibilities of cooperation across different Priority Areas as well as funding for the Flagship Project. Once start-up financing has been secured, it is expected to have a final application ready and financed for a possible start of the project in early 2012.
Report: Environmental problems are linked to both the use and manufacture of pharmaceuticals. The aim of the project is to increase knowledge among states in the Baltic Sea Region on good practices for using and handling medicinal products, including antibiotic-resistant strains. A network will be established with a focus on sustainable development where good practices and experiences are exchanged between people with knowledge of medicinal products and health and environment aspects within the Region. The establishment of focal points in all countries of the Baltic Sea Region is also envisaged. The project will start by identifying work already ongoing and relevant agreements, within the EC Communication (December 2008), EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive, HELCOM Moscow Ministerial Meeting (June 2010), and other relevant EU legislation for approval of pharmaceuticals (September 2010). The project partners have now been identified, and the project is expected to start in autumn 2011 and run for three years. There are similar goals within HELCOM – Moscow Ministerial Declaration May 2010 – and the Baltic Sea Action Plan and it is believed that joint work will benefit outcomes and resources. In order to facilitate the participation of Russia in the Priority Area, a presentation of the project was to be given at the XII International Environmental Forum Baltic Sea Day in St Petersburg 21-23 March. During this forum, bilateral contacts would also be made.
Brief summary of overall progress: The main goal of this Priority Area is to reduce emissions from shipping into both the air and the sea. The Priority Area Coordinator reports that overall progress is good. The Strategy is believed to have improved access to funding for good, relevant projects (for instance, two sub-projects under Flagship Project 4.2, BSR InnoShip and CleanShip, and Flagship Project 4.6. on LNG shipping, recently obtained co-funding from, respectively, the BSR Programme and the 2010 TEN-T call for Motorways of the Sea), and strengthened the possibility for creating inclusive and comprehensive macro-regional networks (including Russia). In addition, the PAC finds that the Strategy has succeeded in giving the implementation of the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan renewed energy and visibility. HELCOM is currently preparing a submission to the Marine Environment Protection Committee of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to make the Baltic Sea an Emission Control Area with regard to NOx emissions under MARPOL Annex VI. This will mean an 80% reduction in NOx emissions from new ships built from 2016 onwards. Also, basic policy decisions about the designation of the Baltic Sea as a Special Area for the discharge of sewage from passenger ships are moving forward. Several Flagship Projects under the Priority Area are involved in facilitating solutions to meet the strict SOx emission regulation that will enter into force in 2015. The PAC points to a need to keep up pressure when it comes to securing political prioritisation of the Strategy. The first experience with the implementation process has demonstrated that a shortage of allocated human resources within the national administrations has had an impact on what could be achieved. Genuine political backing of the implementation process is seen as a prerequisite for success. A Priority Area website has been put in place: http://www.sofartsstyrelsen.dk/skibsfartspolitik/Sider/EUStrategyfortheBalticSeaRegion.aspx. The PAC points out that an important challenge in the medium-term will be to identify new relevant follow-up projects, as some of the current Flagship Projects will soon terminate. This task will partly depend on the prioritisation of the Strategy within the national administrations. Actions: Strategic actions:
Report: Annex VI to the MARPOL Convention is the global instrument regulating emissions from merchant ships. A major revision of Annex VI was adopted in 2008 and entered into force on 1 July 2010. The revision will result in cuts in emissions of NOx and SOx. In particular, emissions of SOx in marine regions designated as a SOx Emission Control Area (ECA) – like the Baltic Sea – will be reduced significantly and will result in an improvement of air quality and reduced health risks in coastal areas within the next couple of years. A cut in NOx emissions from ships in the Baltic Sea required by the revised Annex VI will, however, be much less significant. This will not be sufficient to counterbalance the increasing emissions related to the predicted growth in maritime transportation unless the Baltic Sea is designated a NOx Emission Control Area (ECA). The work on this ECA in the HELCOM Correspondence Group (CG) on ECA, led by Finland, has been carried out since 2008, and has included extensive studies on the effect of shipping emissions on eutrophication and its harmful effects on human health, as well as studies on the economic impacts of this measure. All Baltic Sea countries agreed that the Baltic Sea should be designated an ECA, and the HELCOM meeting in March 2011 set up the next steps needed for a successful submission of the proposal to the IMO. The ECA requirements concern only new ships built in or after 2016. It will take the next 30-40 years for all ships to be covered by more stringent NOx emission regulations. Some complementary, voluntary actions are needed to cut NOx emissions from ships in the Baltic Sea. Also, it is important that the North Sea area be designated an ECA concerning NOx emissions. The joint application will be further scrutinised with the aim of listing any possible aspects that might be missing in the documentation, with a progress report to be considered in June 2011, and also with the aim of discussing and further concluding on the documentation at the 10th Meeting of the HELCOM Maritime Group in the autumn of 2011. The Baltic Sea countries welcome and support the idea of also designating the North Sea an ECA concerning NOx emissions, as it would increase the environmental benefits and cost-efficiency. Further details on the final date of the submission will be available during this year. Flagship Projects (as examples):
Report: The project aims at an enhanced application of HELCOM's "no special-fee" system for port reception facilities (PRF) as well as the availability of PRF in Baltic Sea ports, especially for waste water. The Baltic Sea countries have successfully undertaken the initiative within the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to develop new regulations for discharges of sewage from passenger ships operating in the Baltic Sea (see Flagship Project 4.4, “Eliminate the discharge of sewage from ships”). In July 2010, the IMO approved the proposed amendments to the international MARPOL Convention (Annex VI), including the designation of the Baltic Sea as a Special Area for Sewage. Final adoption will take place in July 2011. For passenger ships operating in the Baltic Sea Special Area, it will be prohibited to discharge untreated sewage into the sea; instead they will be required either to treat the sewage on board or remove any nutrients prior to discharge or to deliver it to a PRF. The precondition for the Baltic Sea Special Area entering into effect is the availability of adequate PRFs for sewage. PRFs in cruise ports are especially important, as cruise liners produce the largest amounts of sewage. The priority passenger ports that need to upgrade their PRFs for sewage have been identified and agreed between the Baltic Sea countries. At the end of 2010, HELCOM established a Cooperation Platform on PRFs in the Baltic Sea to promote dialogue on the provision of adequate PRF for sewage among the key stakeholders. They include port organisations, the shipping industry, especially cruise liners, the maritime administrations of the coastal countries as well as water and waste water utilities. The Platform's specific tasks, such as identification of gaps, building a common understanding on technical and operational aspects of sewage delivery, and following developments of the technology for onboard sewage treatment, are led by the appointed stakeholders: Poland, the Baltic Ports Organisation, Sweden, the WWF and Germany. A local stakeholder meeting on upgrading PRFs was organised by the lead country Poland and hosted by the Port of Gdynia in March 2011 with the aim of presenting the ongoing and planned activities on PRFs and discussing possible financial sources, including a presentation of the NIB/NEFCO BSAP Technical Assistance Fund. For the years to come, the PACs recommend that investments in PRF for sewage should be prioritised and well-reflected within different national and European financing programmes. On a practical level, a website will be created on the HELCOM webpage where members of the Cooperation Platform will be able to exchange views and information. The progress in the work of the Cooperation Platform will be reviewed during the annual HELCOM Maritime Meeting in the autumn of 2011. The Baltic Sea countries have agreed to upgrade PRFs for sewage in the priority passenger ports as soon as possible, preferably by 2013, but by 2015 at the latest. Thus, 2015 is the expected date for notifying the IMO on the availability of adequate PRF in the Baltic Sea and for the Baltic Sea Special Area taking effect.
Report: The overall aim is to reduce the adverse effects of pollution from maritime traffic on the sea as well as in ports and cities, while at the same time optimising the competitiveness of shipping in the area. Several intermediate goals set by the two sub-projects, BSR InnoShip and CleanShip, which both received financing from the BSR Programme in 2010, will contribute to this aim. The BSR InnoShip project focuses on identifying and promoting technological, economic, regulatory and systemic innovations to reduce the emissions. The CleanShip project focuses on measures reducing emissions in ports, including those from ships. The CleanShip project will address emissions from ships at the policy, strategic and technical level. The aim is to elaborate a clean shipping strategy and to harmonise and standardise environmentally related infrastructure such as shore side electricity, supply of LNG and natural gas and PRF for waste water from ships. The project also aims at developing a joint strategy on differentiated port dues and other economic instruments. The BSR InnoShip project will address the Baltic Sea countries and the key marine stakeholders to cooperate in minimising ship-based air pollution, while aiming at optimising the competitiveness of the marine industry. The project will promote a new and innovative transnational approach to mitigate the different needs and interests of the maritime sector and to ensure a basis for a more sustainable and economically viable management of the Baltic Sea resources. Both sub-projects held kick-off meetings and conferences in 2010. Additionally, a coordination meeting was held between the BSR InnoShip and CleanShip projects to coordinate the actions of the sub-projects. The PAC points out that the two sub-projects complement each other and, in some activities, the dividing line seems to be unclear. It is still a challenge to coordinate the activities and to guarantee that duplication of work is avoided. However, the leaders of the sub-projects and the Flagship regularly communicate and meet to keep each other informed and updated, to find synergies and to prepare joint activities.
Report: The aim is to set up economic incentives for ships to produce low emissions, managing waste water and ballast water in a sustainable way, using environmentally friendly technologies, etc. HELCOM Recommendation 28E/13 encourages the application of economic incentives and gives examples of rebate schemes for reducing emissions. Among the Baltic Sea countries, only Sweden has applied differentiated fairway dues to reduce emissions from ships. Finland (the Government of Åland) organised, in collaboration with HELCOM and funded by the Nordic Council of Ministries, a seminar on economic incentives for reduction of nitrogen emissions from ships in the Baltic Sea (Mariehamn, 13 October 2009). One challenge today is that there are different – and very often complex – port/fairway dues systems in the Baltic Sea countries. The economic incentives have the potential to bring about the greatest results when implemented in a larger geographical area, rather than limited to a specific port or a country. There is also the issue of the competitiveness of ports. Agreeing on the application of a similar scheme in the entire Baltic Sea area has proven difficult. There are other means of encouraging emission reductions, such as awards (for instance, the Baltic Sea wide Clean Baltic Shipping and Sustainable Port Operations Award will be developed within the InnoShip project based on the German environmentally friendly shipping award Blue Angel), ship-specific environmental indices (e.g. Clean Shipping Index in Sweden), voluntary agreements with ship owners, and promotion of the use of LNG. The Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) currently under development in the IMO could serve as a tool to implement and measure emission reductions.
Report: The aim of the project is to designate the Baltic Sea as a control area for sewage discharges from passenger ships, whereby cruise and passenger ships will be required to treat their sewage to remove nutrients or discharge it into port reception facilities (PRF). Partners involved in the implementation: Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Russian Federation and Sweden. The proposal to amend MARPOL Annex IV, to include the designation of the Baltic Sea as a special area for discharges of sewage from passenger ships, as proposed by the HELCOM countries, was approved by the International Maritime Organization in the autumn of 2010. While the global agreement on the new regulations has already been achieved, some details of standards for onboard treatment of sewage are to be discussed on a technical level in the IMO. To facilitate these discussions, a joint submission to the 55th session of the IMO's Design and Equipment Sub-Committee has been developed under the lead of Finland (adopted by HELCOM HOD 34/2010). The new regulations include conditional entry into force of the Baltic Sea Special Area – the Baltic Sea countries have to ensure availability of adequate PRF for sewage in relevant passenger ports and to inform the IMO accordingly. The Cooperation Platform on PRF has been established to facilitate, in cooperation with ports, the industry and WWTPs, the implementation of the HELCOM Roadmap for upgrading PRF for passenger ports in the Baltic Sea (its Terms of Reference were adopted by HELCOM HOD 34/2010). In March 2011, the IMO sub-committee DE 55 discussed nutrient reduction standards. Decisions with regard to the standards will probably be made at DE 56 and the final approval subsequently made by the MEPC. Also, in July 2011, MEPC 62 was expected to finally adopt the proposed amendments to MARPOL Annex IV. Finally, the new sewage discharge regulations will enter into force when the Baltic Sea States have reported to the IMO that adequate port reception facilities for sewage are in place at their ports.
Report: Within Baltic Master II, “Waste Management in Ports” (WMP) aims at finding practical solutions to improve waste handling and to see what can be done within the existing legal framework in order to better prevent the input of pollution from maritime transport, thereby not addressing the legal framework per se. A WMP reference group has been established. Currently about 15 ports and other relevant organisations, from most of the BS countries, are involved. During 2010, the Linnaeus University presented a thesis conducted by students from the Kalmar Maritime Academy. The document was a result of the in-depth analysis of available materials and reports and showed detailed solutions for port routines. Analysis on port waste management was further discussed by the WMP reference group. Existing waste handling routines have also been further developed in three Swedish ports. Sludge trucks have been successfully introduced, to support work on our task. The WMP has also developed a so-called “Oily water carriage” solution for small and medium-sized vessels that allows more ships to deliver their waste at ports. Final recommendations for improved and harmonised waste management on board and in ports, strictly based on the results achieved so far by the project, will be presented during spring 2011. During autumn 2011, the recommendations will be disseminated and discussed, as a part of the Baltic Master II communication.
Report: The aim of the project is to develop recommendations on 1) an LNG infrastructure of filling stations for Short Sea Shipping and 2) regulations, classification rules, industry standards, etc. for Northern Europe. Besides the Baltic Sea, the project covers the North Sea and the English Channel. The three sea areas will be covered by the same emission demands on SOx from 1 January 2015 and the shipping traffic between these areas is extensive. Hence, it is reasonable to include all three sea areas in the project. The recommendations of the project aim to be relevant for central stakeholders such as ship owners, ports, LNG providers, industry organisations, countries, the EU, the IMO, etc., and to form the basis of policy-making, regulations, industry standards and cooperation, and commercial decisions. On 31 August 2010, an application was submitted to the European Commission under the 2010 TEN-T call for Motorways of the Sea. The application consists of the above-mentioned infrastructure part and a full-scale pilot project part with conversion of two cruise ferries under construction from ordinary fuel to LNG. The ferries are going to be deployed in liner services between Hirtshals in the Northern part of Denmark and three Norwegian cities in the South Western part of Norway. The application was approved by the Commission in December 2010. Agreement with the consultant on the infrastructure part was expected in the beginning of May 2011 and the consultancy work was expected to start in mid-May 2011. The work is expected to be finalised by 31 March 2012. The pilot project runs parallel with the infrastructure project, but will run a year longer than the infrastructure project, i.e. until 2013.
Brief summary of overall progress: Except for Flagship Project 5.2 on the EU-Russia Energy Efficiency Initiative, this Priority Area is characterised by Flagship Projects that are all in their beginning stages. Kick-off meetings have been held and some projects are currently preparing applications for funding. The Priority Area Coordinator's main objective for the short-term is therefore to ensure that all the Flagship Projects get properly started. A medium-term objective is to further develop and implement the EU-Russia Initiative during the period 2011-14. There was an internal change of PAC for this Priority Area in 2010, followed by a change of administrative authority for the Priority Area from the Danish Energy Agency to the Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI). The DMI also leads FP 5.4, which gives the PAC the opportunity to follow this project closely. In general, however, the new PAC points out that it has been difficult to obtain information from all the stakeholders involved in the actions and Flagship Projects of this Priority Area. Actions: Strategic actions:
Report: This action has developed into a Flagship Project, see below. Cooperative actions:
Report: Information missing (PAC points out that no response was provided from the project manager)
Report: Information missing (PAC points out that no response was provided from the project manager) Flagship Projects (as examples):
Report: No funding for this project has yet been obtained
Report: The EU–Russia Energy Efficiency Initiative supports EU–Russia cooperation in the area of sustainable energy, including energy efficiency, primary energy savings, sustainable use of energy, and renewable energy. It will be further developed and implemented in 2011-14 in the framework of the EU–Russia Energy Dialogue, particularly in the context of the EU–Russia Partnership for Modernisation. The annual work programmes of the Joint EU–Russia Thematic Group on Energy are to be implemented jointly by the EU and Russian side. In 2010, this Flagship Project played a major role in preparing the input of the EU-Russia Energy Dialogue to the Partnership for Modernisation. In autumn 2010, in the framework of the Partnership for Modernisation, both sides agreed on a detailed working plan notably in the field of energy efficiency, but also on regulatory issues. A particular focus of the EU–Russia Energy Efficiency Thematic Group was given to legislation, best experience exchange on energy efficiency policy and legislation implementation, statistics and tools for monitoring energy efficiency progress, energy efficiency standardisation and labelling, information exchange on science and technology cooperation in the area of sustainable energy, etc. Three workshops/roundtables to exchange best practices on Energy Efficiency in Buildings, Energy Efficiency Indicators and the bilateral cooperation of Russia and the EU and IFIs in the area of energy efficiency and renewable energy were organised in Russia. Moreover, two projects with 100% EU financing on Energy Efficiency investments and on Energy Efficiency indicators were running in 2010. In addition to these two projects, Russian and EU researchers implemented a joint research project on Bioliquids-CHP: Power generation from biomass. Under the Northern Dimension Environmental Partnership, the ongoing project on rehabilitation of district heating in Kaliningrad also supports the investments of the EBRD. The following developments will support the implementation of the Flagship Project in the short and mid-term: 1) On 27 December 2010, a State Programme of the Russian Federation for Energy Savings and Increased Energy Efficiency for the period to 2020 was approved by the Russian government; 2) On 21 January 2011, an EU grant programme for non-state actors and local authorities for the Baltic Sea Region was launched (€3.5 million); and 3) The Russian Energy Agency was established and became operational in 2010. Meanwhile, the FPL points to the following issues as having posed a challenge: 1) The progress with implementation of the work programme in areas of renewable energy and efficient use of the associated gas (gas flaring reduction) was limited as a result of the financial crisis and a slow pace of development with the secondary legislation and regulations for supporting the use of renewable energy sources. In the area of efficient use of the associated petrol gas, a draft law is still under discussion in Russia. Solution: Continued dialogue on the legislation and potential of cooperation on renewable energy in the framework of the Energy Dialogue. Information was received from the EBRD and IFC on their policy dialogue with the Russian government on legislation. 2) EU financing for technical cooperation is still very limited, while the technical and administrative capacity in Russia for energy efficiency is very low. The Russian side was informed about the EU thematic programmes for development of education programmes and encouraged via the Russian Energy Agency to develop project proposals under the Baltic Sea non-state actors grant programme. 3) The administrative capacity of the Ministry of Energy in the area of Energy Efficiency was rather weak during the second part of 2010. The Russian Co-Chair of the Thematic Group left the ministry and no replacement was nominated. Solution: Cooperation with the Russian Energy Agency was developed based on practical best experience exchange between the EU and Russia. As regards the next steps, the FPL points to: - The implementation of the Work Programme of the EU–Russia Joint Thematic Group on Energy Efficiency 2011 in order to support the implementation of the Work Plan of the EU–Russia Modernisation Partnership; - Follow-up on activities, such as the TAIEX seminar in Moscow on 25 March concerning energy statistics and energy efficiency indicators, and the EU Sustainable Energy Week Conference in Brussels on 12 April 2011: "EU and Russia Modernisation Partnership: Scaling up low-carbon energy investments and technology cooperation". The Flagship Project expects to conclude its activities in 2014, depending on the success of the EU–Russia Modernisation Partnership.
Report: The project has been interpreted as aiming to support existing city networks as well as new actors (e.g. Baltic Sea cities in Russia) to further develop their capacities and activities in terms of creating sustainable, climate-friendly cities. Special emphasis is given to how the participating cities and networks together with national and regional actors and industry can pursue green growth strategies and integrate climate/sustainable urban development initiatives in a resource-efficient, green-economy framework. The project will support the existing city networks by helping them to share information and cooperate on the climate challenge and use this challenge to further a green economy. Cooperation is also sought with other interlinked BSR projects. A meeting with city networks and other regional actors was arranged during the Nordic sustainability conference ‘Solutions’ held in Turku, Finland in February, in cooperation with the Union of the Baltic Cities (UBC), to discuss and further develop the project. A refined project plan is currently being developed. The project leaders, together with the UBC, are currently in the process of writing an application for funding for project development and initial project activities.
Report: Although the likely impact of climate change is difficult to predict with certainty, it is generally accepted that the projected increase in precipitation amounts and temperature will jeopardise the integrity of the ecosystem and increase the risks of natural disasters (e.g., surges, flooding), thereby posing a threat to the countries bordering the Baltic Sea. There are good experiences with climate adaptation in the Region, but these are rather fragmented and mostly on regional/national scales. Baltadapt aims at developing a true basin-wide Baltic Sea Regional Climate Change Adaptation Strategy, and providing a framework to strengthen cooperation, information and knowledge-sharing within the Region. Although Baltadapt can not in itself implement the strategies for adaptation, the project can ensure its preparation and clear the ground for its adoption. As part of the work plan, the project seeks to achieve the following results: 1) Establish an information database and help in capacity-building by strengthening the knowledge dissemination process between policy-makers and researchers. 2) Establish a transnational adaptation strategy for the Region with a focus on marine and coastal environments. 3) Prepare an action plan to set the ground for implementing the activities dealing with adapting the Baltic Sea to climate change. The Baltadapt kick-off was organised by the Lead Partner and took place in Roskilde, Denmark on 10-12 January 2011. |