Opportunities for Cooperation between Estonia and ... - Valitsus

The European Union has initiated a project to prepare a common maritime
policy. It aims at improving the Union’s capabilities to respond to the challenges
presented by globalization, competitiveness, climate change, pollution of
the marine environment, maritime safety, energy security and sustainable
development.
At Sweden’s initiative, the European Union is currently preparing a Baltic
Sea strategy, a process to which Finland and Estonia have made a valuable
contribution. One of the aims of the strategy is to define the main priorities
of cooperation. Mostly likely, the strategy will be adopted during Sweden’s EU
presidency in the latter half of 2009.
Several other international organizations, projects and funds are involved, in
one way or another, in the efforts to solve the environment problems affecting
the Baltic Sea (ICES, EEIG, BONUS, Coalition Clean Baltic, Clean Baltic Sea
Fund of John Nurminen Foundation, Baltic Sea Action Group, Baltic 21, etc.).
The Gulf of Finland is one of the most polluted areas of the Baltic Sea. Estonia,
Finland and Russia have engaged in research cooperation on the issues related
to the Gulf for a long time. Estonia and Finland have played a prominent
part in the Bonus+ Baltic Sea Research Programme co-funded by the EU.
Russia’s involvement in the research is of great importance to the success of
the project.
Although it is sometimes said that the Baltic Sea is the world’s most thoroughly
researched sea, a number of current problems call for concentrated local efforts.
The problems encountered on the Gulf of Finland are exactly that. Estonia
and Finland shoulder the main responsibility for ensuring that both countries
have a comprehensive overview of the state of the Gulf and its evolution. In
Estonia and Finland, responsibility for marine research and maritime issues
rests with several authorities, institutes and ministries. While ensuring greater
coordination of the data, it is also important to make rational use of all the
resources required for marine research.
Estonia’s and Finland’s common interests regarding the Gulf of Finland are
multi-faceted ranging from the safety of shipping to environmental protection
and security issues. Advocating these shared interests calls for coordinated
cooperation and the continuous exchange of information between the
competent authorities and institutions of the two countries.
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