Good environmental status in the Baltic Sea through regional coordination and capacity building via economic and social analysis

This policy brief summarizes the findings of the GES-REG project, which aimed to harmonize the implementation of the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) in the central and north-eastern Baltic Sea. The project focused on improving Economic and Social Analysis (ESA) to help Estonia, Finland, Latvia, and Sweden develop cost-effective Programmes of Measures to achieve Good Environmental Status (GES) by 2020.

• The GES-REG project facilitated cooperation between Estonia, Finland, Latvia, and Sweden to harmonize the implementation of the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) in the central and north-eastern Baltic Sea. A critical component of this is the Economic and Social Analysis (ESA) of new measures required to reach Good Environmental Status (GES) by 2020.
• Comparative analysis of the four participating countries revealed differences in the analytical approaches used for ESA. Latvia and Sweden utilized an ecosystem services approach, whereas Estonia and Finland employed a marine accounts approach. The brief recommends that countries using the same approach further harmonize their methodologies regarding indicators, pressures, and economic activities.
• Valuation studies in Estonia and Latvia estimated the public's willingness to pay (WTP) to achieve GES compared to a business-as-usual (BAU) scenario. In Estonia, the population may be willing to pay more than EUR 11 million annually for improvements in water quality, oil-spill risk, and non-indigenous species. In Latvia, the WTP is up to EUR 3.8 million per year for water quality, marine biodiversity, and the prevention of invasive species.
• A study of over 60 international policy frameworks showed that while these frameworks are widely known, their implementation varies by country. The brief suggests that improving the implementation of existing policies could reduce the need for new measures in the Programmes of Measures (PoMs).
• Due to existing gaps in environmental and economic data, the first Programmes of Measures will likely rely on limited quantitative analysis. Consequently, the recommended approach for ESA is to combine quantitative evidence with qualitative assessments and expert judgements in a structured manner.
• The brief identifies a lack of specific data on water use and the value of ecosystem services across all participating countries, noting specifically that public data from Statistics Estonia is insufficient for an ecosystem services-based analysis.

APA

Tuhkanen, H., & Nõmmann, S. (2014). Good environmental status in the Baltic Sea through regional coordination and capacity building via economic and social analysis. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-PolicyBrief-Tuhkanen-Baltic-GES.pdf

Chicago

Tuhkanen, Heidi, and Sulev Nõmmann. Good environmental status in the Baltic Sea through regional coordination and capacity building via economic and social analysis. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2014. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-PolicyBrief-Tuhkanen-Baltic-GES.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Tuhkanen |first1=Heidi |last2=Nõmmann |first2=Sulev |title=Good environmental status in the Baltic Sea through regional coordination and capacity building via economic and social analysis |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=2014 |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-PolicyBrief-Tuhkanen-Baltic-GES.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{tuhkanen2014good, author = {Tuhkanen, Heidi and Nõmmann, Sulev}, title = {{Good environmental status in the Baltic Sea through regional coordination and capacity building via economic and social analysis}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2014}, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-PolicyBrief-Tuhkanen-Baltic-GES.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }