EP calls for solution to the problem of chemical weapons pollution in Baltic Sea

  • 2021-04-27
  • LETA/TBT Staff

RIGA - Members of the European Parliament (EP) have adopted a resolution calling for a review of the situation regarding chemical weapons dumped in the Baltic Sea after the Second World War and forging plans for the removal of these substances, Janis Krastins, EP press secretary in Latvia, informed LETA.

In a resolution adopted on Tuesday with 660 votes in favor, eight against and 25 abstentions, the EP expresses serious concern about chemical weapons dumped in the Baltic Sea and points to the serious environmental impact of their presence and corrosion. MEPs call on the European Commission (EC) and Member States to involve all possible sources of funding to map the pollution, draw up a decontamination plan and also contingency schemes for possible emergencies.

The EP calls for the Baltic Sea Region Interreg program from 2021 to 2027 to be used to continue funding the Chemsea, Daimon and Daimon 2 projects, which have helped to study the current situation in the Baltic Sea. The EP notes that NATO has already taken action on munitions dumped in the Baltic Sea and calls on EU Member States and institutions to support these efforts at the national and international levels.

At the end of World War II, at least 50,000 tons of dangerous substances, such as neuroparasitic substances and tear gas, were dumped in the Baltic Sea and continue to slowly degrade and pose a threat to humans and the marine ecosystem. Due to the slow flow of water, the closed Baltic Sea has a limited capacity for self-cleaning and is already one of the most polluted seas in the world.