Baltic Sea marine environment protection A Commission proposal for a Council Decision on the conclusion, on behalf of the Community, of the Convention of the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area (Helsinki Convention as revised in 1992) proposes the approval of the Convention on behalf of the EE... A Commission proposal for a Council Decision on the conclusion, on behalf of the Community, of the Convention of the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area (Helsinki Convention as revised in 1992) proposes the approval of the Convention on behalf of the EEC. The text of the Convention is set out in an Annex to the proposed Decision. In general, the Contracting Parties shall individually or jointly take all appropriate legislative, administrative and 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. To this end , the Contracting Parties shall promote the use of best environmental practice and the best available technology. They shall also take preventative measures when there is reason to assume that substances or energy introduced into the marine environment may create hazards to human health, harm living resources, damage amenities or interfere with other legitimate uses of the sea. Measurements and calculations of emissions from point sources to water and air and of inputs from diffuse sources to water and air shall be carried out in a scientifically appropriate manner in order to assess the state of the marine environment and ascertain the implementation of the Convention. Among topics covered in the Articles of the Convention are references to pollution sources, exploration and exploitation of the sea bed, notification and consultation on pollution incidents, cooperation in combating marine pollution, nature conservation and biodiversity, scientific cooperation, and the reporting and exchange of information. The Contracting Parties undertake to cooperate (directly or through competent regional or other international organizations) in the fields of science and technology and other research, and to exchange data and other scientific information for the purposes of the Convention. In order to facilitate research and monitoring in the Baltic Sea the Contracting Parties also undertake to harmonize their policies with respect to permission procedures for conducting such activities. Signatories to the Convention include: the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, the Russian Federation, Sweden, Ukraine, and the European Economic Community. Countries Czechia, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Lithuania, Latvia, Norway, Poland, Russia
