Marine body stresses science-policy link

A leading Finnish executive has emphasised the importance of connecting science and policy during a speech to the European Research Commissioner.

Monika Stankiewicz, executive secretary of Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission – Helsinki Commission (HELCOM), made the comments during her speech to Carlos Moedas as he attended a steering committee meeting of the Baltic Sea Research and Development Programme (BONUS), in Helsinki, Finland on Monday.

Stankiewicz remarked: “Scientific integrity and interaction with policy makers can be combined in down-to-earth research. BONUS is the reason that HELCOM has been benefitting from the useful outcomes of such applied research in the Baltic Sea.

“The key has been to mainstream topical policy questions to the BONUS research agenda, related to HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan, Marine Strategy Framework Directive, Maritime Spatial Planning and Blue Growth. Naturally, many, if not majority of these marine policy questions are on a sea basin scale, thus it has been simply perfect for HELCOM to have its regional science ‘counterpart’ to co-operate with.”

HELCOM says it would welcome future research to increase the understanding of the services provided by marine and coastal ecosystems and the costs of their degradation, adding this knowledge could become part of the decision making, planning and operation of businesses in the larger context of sustainable development and responsible consumption.

HELCOM is the governing body of the ‘Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area’, known as the Helsinki Convention.