Baltic 21 Creating an Agenda 21 for the Baltic Sea Region Main Report

The document argues that while the Baltic Sea Region has a strong tradition of environmental co-operation, it is not yet on a path toward sustainable development. It proposes 'Baltic 21', a regional action programme designed to bridge economic disparities between the West Baltic Region (WBR) and East Baltic Region (EBR) while addressing critical environmental threats. The report identifies key risks including eutrophication of the Baltic Sea, acid rain, and the environmental legacy of Soviet-era industry in Russia and Poland. It emphasizes the need for a holistic approach that integrates sustainability into key sectors—energy, agriculture, forestry, transport, and industry—and leverages the influence of the European Union's pre-accession strategies to harmonize environmental standards across the region.

• The Baltic Sea is highly sensitive to pollutants due to its brackish nature, slow water exchange, and distinct layering, which leads to oxygen depletion and 'dead' sea floors in some areas.
• Regional air pollution, specifically sulphur and nitrogen deposition, has caused severe acidification of thousands of lakes in the BSR, many of which are now fishless.
• In Russia, sustainable development is not a central focus, and environmental protection is often undermined by powerful energy, agrarian, and military lobbies.
• The Russian economy is characterized by extreme resource-intensity; for example, it uses eight times more energy per unit of final product than Western European countries.
• Poland's transition to a market economy has seen a decrease in emissions due to reduced industrial activity, but the transport sector is becoming less sustainable due to a shift from rail to road transport.
• The European Union is the most significant source of finance and assistance for the BSR, and its pre-accession strategies are expected to accelerate the harmonization of environmental laws in applicant countries.
• The energy sector in the East Baltic Region (EBR) is dominated by outdated technologies and low efficiency, requiring urgent rehabilitation to meet acceptable environmental standards.
• Agriculture in both the West and East Baltic Regions remains a major source of diffuse pollution, contributing significantly to the eutrophication of the Baltic Sea.
• The report suggests that a successful Baltic 21 process must be an open, participatory, and adaptive process that avoids top-down strategies prepared without consultation.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (1996). Baltic 21 Creating an Agenda 21 for the Baltic Sea Region Main Report. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Policy-institutions/creating_agenda_baltic21.pdf

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Baltic 21 Creating an Agenda 21 for the Baltic Sea Region Main Report. 1996. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Policy-institutions/creating_agenda_baltic21.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Baltic 21 Creating an Agenda 21 for the Baltic Sea Region Main Report |date=1996 |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Policy-institutions/creating_agenda_baltic21.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute1996baltic, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Baltic 21 Creating an Agenda 21 for the Baltic Sea Region Main Report}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {1996}, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Policy-institutions/creating_agenda_baltic21.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }