Chemicals and consumer awereness

Control of hazardous substances in the Baltic Sea region (COHIBA)

Website: http://www.cohiba-project.net/
Duration: 2009 – 2012
Partners: Finnish Environment Institute; The Copenhagen Municipality; Copenhagen Waste Water Treatment Plants; Copenhagen Energy and Technical University of Denmark; Baltic Environmental Forum; Estonian Marine Institute University of Tartu; Estonian Environmental Research Centre; Tallinn University of Technology; Federal Environment Agency of Germany; Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Ministry for Agriculture, Environment and Consumer Protection; Baltic Environment Forum; Latvian Institute for Aquatic Ecology; Baltic Environment Forum; Centre of Marine Research; Environmental Protection Agency, Ministry of Environment; Institute of Botany; Institute of Ecology of Industrial Areas IETU; IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute; Swedish Chemicals Agency; City of Stockholm; HELCOM
Financiers: European Union within the Baltic Sea Region Programme 2007-2013

The overall objective of COHIBA project was to support the implementation of the BSAP with regard to hazardous substances by developing joint actions to reach the goal. Taking into account their potential hazard the BSAP identifies 11 substances/substance groups as being of special concern to the Baltic Sea, which were also the focus of this project. The project included partners and activities in all Baltic Sea coastal countries giving it a strong transnational character, and provided input for decision making for common actions needed for a healthy Baltic Sea.

The project enhanced the capability of the Baltic Sea countries to implement their international obligations under the forthcoming European Marine Strategy and the Water Framework Directive, and contributes to national activities to identify and address sources of hazardous substances to reach the cessation targets for HELCOM/EU priority hazardous substances by 2020. Project activities and results will be considered in conjunction with HELCOM meetings on both policy and expert level with representation from all ten HELCOM Contracting Parties ensuring the implementation and durability of the results. The project utilised dresults gained in other HELCOM and EU projects, such as SOCOPSE and REBECCA, filling in with activities that were identified necessary by Baltic Sea countries during the two year period of the development of the BSAP. The proposed project was supported by all HELCOM Contracting Parties.

More information:
Heli Nõmmasalu
Tel: +372 6 597 028
E-mail: heli.nommsalu@bef.ee