50th Anniversary Celebration of HELCOM in Riga

50th Anniversary Celebration of HELCOM in Riga

On April 25 the 50th anniversary of Helsinki Convention and HELCOM will be celebrated in Riga. As the current presiding country of HELCOM Latvia will host ministers of the EU member states responsible for the convention and hold the ceremonial session.

During the meeting, ministers will discuss the progress and implementation of Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP2021), approve the assessment of the marine environmental status updated in 2023 and jointly sign the declaration.

It will be possible to follow the ceremony part online – ej.uz/HELCOM50

On March 22 1974 in Helsinki, Finland all the coastal countries of the Baltic Sea signed the first convention for the protection of marine environment of the Baltic Sea region in order to find solutions to the environmental crisis caused by industrialization and other types of anthropogenic activities. This agreement was the first comprehensive convention for protection of the marine environment in the world, covering prevention of marine pollution from both land and air, as well as the prohibition of pollution from ships, and it called for cooperation in the elimination of various types of pollution. At the diplomatic conference in Helsinki in 1992, the updated convention was signed, which entered into force in 2000.

The presidency of HELCOM by Latvia lasts for 2 years, from July 1 2022 to June 30 of this year. Afterwards it will be taken over by Lithuania.