Poland hosted a ministerial meeting of the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission (HELCOM), represented by Deputy Infrastructure Minister Arkadiusz Marchewka. The meeting was organised under Poland’s HELCOM presidency, which runs from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2028.

HELCOM, also known as the Helsinki Commission, is a regional intergovernmental organisation established under the Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area, signed on 9 April 1992. Its members include the Baltic Sea coastal states and the European Union.

The meeting, held in Warsaw, brought together ministers, deputy ministers and senior representatives from countries across the Baltic Sea region and the European Commission. Participants included Estonia’s Minister of Infrastructure Kuldar Leis, Finland’s State Secretary at the Ministry of Climate and the Environment Mika Nykänen, German Federal Ministry for the Environment State Secretary Bettina Hagedorn, Swedish State Secretary to the Minister for Climate and the Environment Daniel Westlén, and Lithuania’s Deputy Minister of Environment Giederė Ričkutė. The European Commission was represented by Patrick Child of its Directorate-General for the Environment.

The discussions focused on progress in implementing the Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP). Adopted by HELCOM’s member states in Lübeck in 2021, the plan sets out common objectives and specific measures aimed at achieving good environmental status in the Baltic Sea by 2030. Its priorities include protecting biodiversity, reducing eutrophication, tackling pollution from hazardous substances and marine litter, and promoting sustainable maritime activities.

“Poland’s presidency is focused on translating the region’s shared commitments into tangible results: effective implementation of agreed environmental targets, the development of scientific cooperation and adapting HELCOM’s work to the changing geopolitical circumstances in the Baltic Sea,” said Deputy Infrastructure Minister Arkadiusz Marchewka, who hosted the meeting.

Photo: Polish Ministry of Instrastructure