Policy frameworks

HELCOM

HELCOM is an intergovernmental organization bridging policy and science on matters related to the environment of the Baltic Sea. A regional platform for environmental policy making, HELCOM was established in 1974 to protect the marine environment of the Baltic Sea from all sources of pollution. It has 10 Contracting Parties: Denmark, Estonia, the European Union, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia and Sweden.

Focus Munitions in the Sea

For over three decades, HELCOM has been addressing the issue of munitions in the sea, among other things through the establishment of dedicated expert groups. Following intensive media coverage at the beginning of the 1990s on the occurrence of dumped chemical munitions in unknown locations within the Helsinki Convention area, the 14th meeting of the Helsinki Commission in 1993 decided to set up the ad hoc Working Group on Dumped Chemical Munitions (HELCOM CHEMU). Its task was to elaborate a report on the dumping locations and effects of chemical weapons in the marine environment.

At its 2010 Ministerial Meeting, the Helsinki Commission decided to establish an ad hoc HELCOM Expert Group to update and review the existing information on dumped chemical munitions in the Baltic Sea (HELCOM MUNI). The HELCOM MUNI report on Chemical Munitions Dumped in the Baltic Sea was submitted to the 2013 HELCOM Ministerial Meeting in Copenhagen as background information.

The Terms of Reference (ToR) of the HELCOM Expert Group on Hazardous Submerged Objects (HELCOM EG Submerged) were agreed upon by the HELCOM Heads of Delegation meeting HELCOM HOD 43-2013. HELCOM EG Submerged compiles and assess information about all kinds of hazardous objects and assess the associated risks. The compilation and assessment were used to produce a thematic assessment report on challenges related to warfare materials in the Baltic Sea. In 2022 the Group’s TOR were updated and its mandate extended through 2026.

The need to address the issue of submerged munitions is also reflected in HELCOM’s 2021 Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP), which contains two actions directly related to hazardous submerged objects.  

HELCOM also contributes to fostering dialogue and shaping regional policies by cooperating with other regional players such as the European Union, for instance through participation in the “Our Baltic” process, and the Council of the Baltic States (CBSS). HELCOM, moreover, actively participates in international projects such as MUNIMAP,  MUNI-RISK  and MMineSwEEPER. Through this role, the organization helps raise awareness, acts as a science-policy interface and ensures that scientific findings are effectively communicated to decision-makers across and beyond the Baltic Sea Region.

CBSS – Council of the Baltic Sea States

The Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) is an intergovernmental political forum promoting cooperation and stability in the Baltic Sea Region. Established in 1992 by Baltic Sea Foreign Ministers after the Cold War, it comprises 11 members: Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Sweden, and the EU.

Focus Munitions in the Sea

CBSS began actively coordinating regional dialogue on sea-dumped munitions during the German Presidency of the CBSS (2022–2023), notably through the Kiel Roundtable on Dumped Munitions in the Baltic Sea. This event laid important groundwork for the growing cooperation and practical action seen today, reinforcing the CBSS’s strategic role in facilitating high-level political dialogue on this critical issue—alongside key partners such as the European Commission and HELCOM.

The Declaration of the 20th CBSS Ministerial Session, held in Wismar, Germany, on 2 June 2023, explicitly acknowledged “the environmental, human safety, security and economic risks emanating from the thousands of tons of conventional and chemical munitions dumped in the Baltic Sea. In addition, they can pose a risk to marine life, fishing and navigation, impede the installation of offshore energy infrastructure, and may negatively impact on aquaculture, tourism and other sectors of the blue economy.”

Beyond fostering political dialogue, the CBSS Secretariat actively participates in international projects such as MUNI-RISK and MUNIMAP as a communication and political dialogue partner. Through this role, the Secretariat helps raise awareness and ensures that scientific findings are effectively communicated to decision-makers across the Baltic Sea Region. Issue of submerged munitions is regularly raised at the Committee of Senior Officials meetings, Civil Protection Network and EUSBSR PA Secure members are also informed about the progress in the projects and other related developments. 

Additionally, CBSS Director General has taken part in various expert panels and conferences and contributed to reports and publications, further underlining the organisation’s commitment to maintaining momentum and ensuring that the issue of sea-dumped munitions remains firmly on the regional and international agenda.

OSPAR

OSPAR is the mechanism by which 15 Governments and the European Union cooperate to protect the marine environment of the North-East Atlantic. OSPAR started in 1972 with the Oslo Convention against dumping and was broadened to cover land-based sources of marine pollution and the offshore industry by the Paris Convention of 1974. These two conventions were unified, updated and extended by the 1992 OSPAR Convention. The fifteen Governments are Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and United Kingdom. OSPAR is so named because of the original Oslo and Paris Conventions ("OS" for Oslo and "PAR" for Paris).

Focus Munitions in the Sea

Under the OSPAR Commission’s work on human activities, dumped chemical and conventional munitions in the North-East Atlantic are recognised as a significant environmental and safety concern stemming from large-scale disposal after the First and Second World Wars. These sea-dumped munitions include bombs, grenades, torpedoes, mines, phosphorus incendiary devices and chemical weapons such as mustard gas. Encounters with these munitions, which are reported centrally under OSPAR Recommendation 2023/02 and displayed in the OSPAR Data and Information Management System, occur widely, especially in areas such as the Channel and southern North Sea, with around 900 encounters reported each year, over half of which involve fishing gear entanglement. These encounters pose direct threats to human health and potential risks to marine organisms and sediments, particularly where toxic agents persist or bioaccumulate.

OSPAR’s approach focuses on improving knowledge, risk assessment and safe management rather than broad-scale removal, recognising that disturbing munitions can increase hazards and mobilise contaminants. OSPAR Contracting Parties have worked to identify detailed locations of dumpsites and areas with high encounter densities, and to integrate this information into decision-making for seabed activities such as dredging, cable laying, sand and gravel extraction, and offshore renewable energy development. In most cases, leaving munitions undisturbed to disintegrate naturally remains the common management practice, but Contracting Parties are encouraged to consider alternative risk-based options where clusters are identified. By centralising reporting, sharing data and promoting precautionary management, OSPAR aims to mitigate safety risks and protect the marine environment while accommodating the sustainable use of the North-East Atlantic.

UNEP/MAP

The Mediterranean Action Plan was established in 1975 as a multilateral environmental agreement within the framework of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Regional Seas Programme. Mediterranean countries and the European Community endorsed MAP as the institutional framework for cooperation in addressing shared challenges related to marine environmental degradation.

UNEP/MAP and the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention – 21 Mediterranean countries and the European Union – have progressively developed a uniquely comprehensive institutional, legal, and implementation framework, integrating essential building blocks for sustainability in the Mediterranean.

Over the past four decades, the UNEP/MAP – Barcelona Convention system has adapted to emerging environmental challenges and contributed to a growing body of knowledge on marine and coastal ecosystems, as well as the interactions between development and the environment in the Mediterranean region.

Focus Munitions in the Sea

In accordance with Article 4 of the Protocol for the Prevention and Elimination of Pollution of the Mediterranean Sea by Dumping from Ships and Aircraft or Incineration at Sea (amended 1995), the dumping of wastes or other matter is prohibited. The article provides exceptions for a list of items that may be dumped, subject to strict regulation by legally binding guidelines updated at COP 2017 (Albania) and COP 22 (Slovenia). The list of permitted items includes:

• dredged material;
• fish waste or organic materials resulting from the processing of fish and other marine organisms;
• platforms or other man-made structures at sea;
• inert, uncontaminated geological materials.

However, it is recognised that there are legacy areas in the Mediterranean where munitions waste still exists. Therefore, UNEP/MAP seeks to benefit from projects such as MUNI-RISK and MMinE-SwEEPER to raise awareness and utilise state-of-the-art methodologies developed for the remediation of such sites in the region.

Black Sea Commission

The Commission on the Protection of the Black Sea Against Pollution (or Black Sea Commission) is the regional governing body created to implement the Bucharest Convention signed by the six Black Sea coastal countries in 1992 (Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Russian Federation, Turkiye and Ukraine). On 31st October 1996, the Black Sea countries also signed the first Black Sea Strategic Action Plan for the Rehabilitation and Protection of the Black Sea, later on amended in Sofia in 2009. This plan defines the policy measures, actions, and activities required to achieve the environmental objectives of the Bucharest Convention. The Black Sea Strategic Action Plan recognises that collective action is required from all Black Sea countries to reduce the impact of pollution on the sea’s ecosystems.

The areas of work of the Black Sea Commission are, inter alia, to monitor and assess pollution, control pollution from land-based sources, ensure conservation of biological diversity, address environmental safety aspects of shipping, address environmental aspects of management of fisheries and other marine living resources and promote integrated coastal zone management and maritime policy.

Focus Munitions in the Sea

Considering that the topic of munitions in the sea becomes burning on the Black Sea agenda and can eventually pose a risk to marine life, fishing and navigation, aquaculture, tourism and other sectors of the blue economy, the BSC Permanent Secretariat is willing to initiate the discussion and contribute to remediating and assessment of submerged marine munitions in  the Black Sea by participating in international projects such as MUNI-RISK and MMinE-SwEEPER as a communication and political dialogue partner. Through this role, the Secretariat will assist in awareness raising and effective communication on the regional level.