Animals and plants should be better protected and habitats be restored. Main environmental pressures in the Baltic Sea such as excess nutrients, contaminants, marine litter, underwater noise and the impacts of fishing and other activities at sea are to be further reduced.

The ten-year plan, which the environment ministers of the Baltic Sea countries and the European Union adopted in Lübeck (Germany) in 2021 (Baltic Sea Action Plan / BSAP), contains about 200 actions to protect the Baltic Sea. Specific programmes and strategies complement these measures. Goal: a healthy and sustainably used Baltic Sea.

This can only succeed through a stronger scientific cooperation in the Baltic Sea region. The HELCOM Science Agenda (2021-2030) invites scientists, funding programmes and HELCOM members to work together on closing knowledge gaps.