Today the preparation of project proposition concerning Hot Spot 73 (Vistula lagoon) is going very actively. This project could be implemented only if all municipalities around Vistula and Kaliningrad lagoon and Primorsk bay will be working in close cooperation. It is proposed by Baltijsk and Mamonovo municipalities to establish the Association of municipalities around Vistula lagoon in order to make the application and implement the project more effectively.  After this the Association of Polish Communes and the Association of Kaliningrad Region Municipalities can make joint project application concerning Hot Spot 73 (Vistula lagoon) exclusion from HELCOM list using EU programmes.

The main work in the process of application drawing up will be made by Atlantic branch of P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology in cooperation with Polish institutes. The project will include complex study of ecological problems and drawing up of joint action plan for solving these problems.

Today the high attention is given to Environmental protection issues in Baltic see region. There are regions where environment conservation is the area of responsibility for more than single country. The Baltic see is one of such regions, which is very sensitive to negative impact from people. Toward this end the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM) where Denmark, Estonia, European community, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia and Sweden are working together to protect the Baltic marine environment.

The Helsinki commission meets annually with politicians, experts and stakeholders in the field of environmental protection.

More detailed information about HELCOM you may find on HELCOM web-site  www.helcom.fi .

On 22^nd of May, 2008 the First Stakeholder Workshop on Implementation of the HELCOM Baltic See Action Plan for the Kaliningrad region of the Russian Federation had been held in order to involve local stakeholders in the Action Plan implementation process. 

                The workshop dealt with the segments of the Baltic see Action plan:

Eutrophication

Hazardous substances

Biodiversity

Maritime activities

In opening address the governor of Kaliningrad region Mr. Georgiy Boos stressed particular importance of Baltic see conservation for further generations and urged to active participation in this field. After this several reports concerning HELCOM Action plan and its implementation has been presented. After main part of the conference there were three parallel sessions on:

water waste water treatment

agriculture

biodiversity

Special emphasis at the conference has been given to the water purification projects because current situation in this issue is extremely dangerous for Baltic see waters. It is necessary that all municipalities which impact on see water area should participate in this work. With this purpose there are recommendations in HELCOM Baltic See Action Plan.

The Head of National secretariat of Russian party of Euroregion Baltic Mr. Victor Koshelev have presented the information about ?Environmental protection in Kaliningrad region? reference network activity in the framework of Seagull II project. His report included the information about project ideas concerning Hot Spot 49 (Sovetsk Pulp&Paper Mill) and Hot Spot 73 (Vistula lagoon) and also about planed transformation of Environmental Protection reference network in to formal ERB working grope.

In the end of the seminar some concrete suggestions on priority issues have been prepared which can be used by involved stakeholders as a Roadmap for implementation of the Baltic See Action Plan for Kaliningrad region.

National secretariat of Russian party of Euroregion Baltic organized three day working meeting within ?Environmental protection in Kaliningrad region? reference network of Seagull II project with participation of Sweden experts on environmental protection, representatives of Klaipeda region and National secretariat of Lithuanian party of ERB, Municipality of Sovetsk, Kaliningrad State Technical University, Sovetsk Pulp&Paper Mill and Government of Kaliningrad region.

Main directions of joint work were:

?          Ecological problems evaluation in Sovetsk and Sovetsk Pulp&Paper Mill (Hot Spot 49 of HELCOM list);

?          Working out of practical recommendations on elimination of these problems;

?          Working out of international project plan on Hot Spot 49 (Sovetsk P&P Mill) expungement from HELCOM list.

            Participants of the meeting:

Working program included visit to Sovetsk and Sovetsk P&P Mill and also working meetings in Government of Kaliningrad region and Kaliningrad State Technical University. These events took place in the period from 15^th to 17^th of April.

In the first day there was the meeting in Kaliningrad State Technical University. Russian representatives gave preliminary information about situation, concerning to Sovetsk P&P Mill, and about there vision of project concept, concerning Hot Spot 49 (Sovetsk P&P Mill). Participants of the meeting discussed possibilities to prepare the application in new EU programs such as INTERREG IV BSR, ENPI and South Baltic CBC Program.

The next day 16^th of April the delegation visited Sovetsk. The work started with negotiations in Sovetsk administration. The Head of Sovetsk Mr. Smilgin informed about problems of town ? solid domestic waste utilization and Hot Spot 49 (Sovetsk P&P Mill).

According to his words the main problems are:

?          The lack of treatment plant meeting contemporary demands and needs.

Existent plant (1920 year of building) can provide only mechanical purification. Though the building of new plant is included to the Federal special program of Kaliningrad region social development till 2014, realization of this project could be implemented only after the presentation and harmonization of design estimates, which costs approximately 3 million USD. Neither Sovetsk municipal district nor Sovetsk P&P Mill does not have such financial recourses.

?          Solid domestic waste land field is located in town area. This problem needs practical recommendations concerning utilization of old land field.

After completing of negotiations in the administration went to waste land field and also to ash-disposal area and bark dump and visited treatment plant and the territory of Sovetsk P&P Mill. After this the meeting in the Mill administration took place. Swedish experts expressed their opinion about existing situation and possible ways of problems solving. There is a possibility to build treatment plant both for Sovetsk and P&P Mill. Vice-governor of Klaipeda region Ms. Raisa Mincinauskiene proposed to organize meeting in Klaipeda, because the Ministry of Lithuania is interested in participation in the project on environmental protection. Mr. Victor Koshelev proposed variants of project financing from EU funds. According to his words one of EU programs (most likely the ENPI program) could be financial resource. Within this program the project can be initiated with participation of Kaliningrad region Government, Sovetsk Municipal district, Sovetsk P&P Mill, Kaliningrad State Technical University, Lithuanian, Swedish and possibly Danish partners. Mr. Lars Kylefors on behalf of Swedish delegation expressed willingness actively participate in preparation and implementation of such project.

The next meeting with deputy Minister of housing and communal services and building Mr. Mikhail Mikhailov took place in Government of Kaliningrad region. He confirmed the willingness of Kaliningrad region Government to provide assistance in preparation of  design estimates and infrastructure building.    

On the 10 of April the working meeting was held in the Atlantic branch of P.P. Shirshov Institute of Okeanology in Kaliningrad. The meeting was within two projects Seagul II ? Strengthening institutional structures and spatial development capacities of Euroregion ?Baltic? and  SDI4SEB (Sustainable development indicators for ICZM in the South-Eastern Baltic) and there was the discussion on collaboration on water issues within the Euroregion ?Baltic? and programs of cross-border cooperation.

Following persons participated in the meeting:

Mr Roger Kaliff ? Chairman of the Water Working Group of the Euroregion ?Baltic?, member of the ERB Council and Chairman of the Council of Kalmar City

Mrs. Carolina Gunnarson ? secretary of the Water Working Group of the Euroregion ?Baltic?, The Regional Council in Kalmar County

Mr. Niklas Hansson ? expert of the Water Working Group of the Euroregion ?Baltic?, The Region of South Sm?land

Mr. Feliks Alekseev ? Kaliningrad Regional Duma, Vice-chairman of the Permanent Committee on the Agriculture, Land Use, Nature Resources and Environment Conservation.

Mr. Alexander Ivanov ? Deputy Director of the ROSTECHNADZOR Administration

Mr. Victor Koshelev ? Head of the Russian National Secretary of the Euroregion ?Baltic?

Mrs. Tatyana Levchenko ? Administration of the Kaliningrad City, Deputy Head of the Cooperation Unit, Foreign Relation Department

Mr. Viktor Romanovskii - Government of the Kaliningrad Oblast, Ministry of Territorial Development and cooperation with Self-Government Power of the Kaliningrad Oblast

Dr. Boris Chubarenko - Atlantic Branch of P.P.Shirshov Institute of Oceanology of Russian Academy of Sciences, coordinator of the SDI-4-SEB project, expert of the Water Working Group of the Euroregion ?Baltic?

During the meeting the Swedish delegation presented project plan on modern water management, which is planning to run within South Baltic CBC program. It was suggested to choose as pilot areas rivers which are flows through the territory of crossborder regions in order to solve ecological problems of these rivers with joint efforts. As an example of such area the river Mamonovka can be taken, which flows through the territory of Kaliningrad region and Poland or the river Neman, which flows through Kaliningrad region and Lithuania.

The second part of the meeting was dedicated to discussion of project ideas on HELCOM ?HotSpots? in Kaliningrad region, which is planning to run within Neighborhood Program: Lithuania, Poland and Kaliningrad region. It was suggested to choose the Hotspot 49 (Sovetsk Pulp&Paper Mill) and Hotspot 73 (Vistula lagoon) as the aim of the projects.

The final decisions on these issues will be made after negotiations on regional authority?s level of interested parties.

The active work in reference network ?Environmental protection in Kaliningrad region? is going on.

As it was told earlier the prime course of network activity is Hot Spot 49 (Sovetsk Pulp&Paper Mill) expungement from HELCOM list. It is planning to make the application in the BSR and ENPI program.

The agreement was reached with Swedish partners, who is ready to visit Klaipeda and Kaliningrad region in order to negotiate with potential partners from Lithuania and Russian Federation, who is interested in the environmental protection of Neman river basin and also to investigate the situation at Sovetsk Pulp&Paper Mill.

It is also planning to discuss the project idea on preparation of complex program on reducing the negative impact of Sovetsk municipal and industrial sectors on river Neman.

The probable visit date is the 17 April.