Pressure from agriculture, fisheries, industries, and the maritime sector have severely compromised the health of the Baltic Sea, with most areas now affected by eutrophication, hazardous substances, and degraded biodiversity. Collaboration between the EU and Russia is critical to tackle the deteriorating state of the common Baltic Sea. Much cooperation on the numerous transboundary river basins in the Baltic Sea region is on-going. However, there are still some areas where cooperation and collective action is lagging behind due to different political and economic reasons. The transboundary Neman (Poland, Lithuania, RF Kaliningrad Oblast, and Belarus) and Pregola (Poland and RF Kaliningrad Oblast) are two such rivers systems draining into the Baltic Sea Region where multilateral cooperation is poor.
In previous work undertaken by SIWI and partners in Russia (Kaliningrad), Lithuania and Poland, (2009-2011) the need for improved water management in this part of the Baltic was clearly identified. The potential for improved ecosystem services, increased economic gains and longer-term regional cooperative gains were also shown.
Civic action through NGOs and academic institutions can play a major role in building the political commitment needed for collective action. NGOs and academic institutions can bring skills and knowledge into pre-planning processes and provide a safe space for dialogue together with government officials. Such dialogue is non-committing and non-binding and should be based on sound knowledge and expertise.
This project aims to build an informal and professional partnership to formulate water and environmental management priorities into an economic framework, recognising green and smart growth potential. The intention is to facilitate official dialogue, cooperation and investment on the shared river basin systems between the Kaliningrad Oblast, Poland, Lithuania and the broader Baltic Sea Community of actors, providing incentives for stakeholders to seek more information on how to transform degraded water resources into opportunities. Both EU and Russian regulations offer opportunities for joint management. Further arguments and clear investment frameworks needs to be developed to stimulate formal cooperation based on best practise and good data.
The project is funded by Swedish Institute and will be implemented over 3 years (2012 – 2015) by SIWI (Sweden, coordinating institution), Northern Dimension Foundation (Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia), Institute of Economy of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Russia), Global Water Partnership (Poland and Lithuania) and the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management (Sweden).
Project Info
- Publications:
Granit et al. 2011. Managing and development the water resources assets in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, in support of economic growth and environmental sustainability.
Granit and Walline. 2011. Collective action in the Baltic Sea region – Options for strengthening implementation of the environmental pillar of the EU strategy for the Baltic Sea Region. - Project team: Andreas Lindström, Birgitta Lyss Lymer, Johanna Sjödin, Phillia Restiani
- Partners: Northern Dimension Foundation (Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia), Institute of Economy of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Global Water Partnership (Poland and Lithuania) and the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management.
- Financed by the Swedish Institute
- Timeline: September 2012 – August 2015
