KIMO Baltic Sea
Learn about the latest phase of KIMO's Eastern expansion
The Baltic Sea region is one of the most dynamic regions in Europe. A clean and healthy Baltic Sea in ecological balance is crucial for further development. Almost 100 million inhabitants live in the Baltic region today.
A clean sea is a vital factor for the people living in the Baltic. Engagement will be needed even at the municipal and regional level. Active communities are today working mainly in the various individual projects. A cohesive community organization which promotes understanding and joint action at the municipal level is currently lacking. Discussions with research institutions show that engagement between the municipal level and research level is highly desirable.
In 2007, KIMO International increased its remit to include all the countries around the Baltic Sea in the biggest expansion in its 17 year history. Representatives from KIMO and Baltic Municipalities met in Simrishamn, on the Swedish Baltic Coast, in October 2007 to discuss how they could cooperate on marine pollution issues in the Baltic Sea. The event, hosted by Simrishamn Kommun who proposed the expansion, saw 17 Municipalities from Sweden, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia attend and resulted in a commitment to establish a KIMO International Baltic Forum as part of the KIMO Network.
Simrishamn’s municipality has taken the initiative to launch KIMO Baltic Sea to promote municipal cooperation around the Baltic Sea. KIMO International is a network consisting of 110 municipalities around the North Sea which are actively engaged in issues relating to the marine environment. KIMO Baltic Sea is planning to launch a project called "Fishing for Litter" in cooperation with the Keep Sweden Tidy organisation and a number of municipalities/ports around the Baltic Sea. Fishing for Litter has proved successful in Scotland and the Netherlands. Fishing for Litter was discussed at KIMO Baltic’s seminar held in Jurmala, which discussed the issues surrounding coastal erosion in Latvia on 3rd & 4th December 2008.
Upprinnelsen till KIMO Baltic Sea är KIMO International, som är ett nätverk inom Europa. Länder, eller snarare kommuner, samarbetar för att värna om miljön med tonvikt på den marina miljön. KIMO står för Kommunenes Internasjonale Miljorganisasjon. In 2007, KIMO International increased its remit to include all the countries around the Baltic Sea in the biggest expansion in its 17 year history. Representatives from KIMO and Baltic Municipalities met in Simrishamn, on the Swedish Baltic Coast, in October 2007 to discuss how they could cooperate on marine pollution issues in the Baltic Sea. The event, hosted by Simrishamn Kommun who proposed the expansion, saw 17 Municipalities from Sweden, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia attend and resulted in a commitment to establish a KIMO International Baltic Forum as part of the KIMO Network.
Delegates at the KIMO International Baltic Forum in Simrishamn, Sweden All the municipalities that attended shared common concerns about problems that are affecting the Baltic Sea and the impact they would have on biodiversity and natural habitats as well as industries such as tourism and fisheries. Issues such as the over use of fertilisers causing eutrophication, algal blooms and oxygen depletion, the increase shipping and associated risk of accidents, high concentrations of chemical pollutants, the introduction of alien species and coastal erosion.
KIMO International Secretariat John Mouat stated: "I can see many parallels between the situation in the North Sea that led to the formation of KIMO back in 1990 and the situation in the Baltic today. With almost 100 million inhabitants living around the Baltic and challenges such as over fertilisation, coastal erosion, chemical and nuclear emissions, algal blooms, and increased shipping there is the same need for municipalities to take action. As pollution obeys 
no boundaries it is essential to develop international co-operation to tackle these problems at the local as well as the international level and I am happy that so many municipalities share this view.”
Mayor Christer Akej stated: “Simrishamn Kommun has been concerned for some time that the Baltic Sea is in a state of unbalance. It is one of the world’s most sensitive waters and is increasingly under pressure from coastal development, shipping and over utilisation of its resources. We believe it is essential that those who live closest to the sea, the municipalities, take action to return it to a healthy state. Therefore we are delighted that KIMO accepted our invitation to establish a KIMO International Baltic Forum and hope that all municipalities around the Baltic Sea will join the forum in the future.”
Read the KIMO Constitution in a different language:
KIMO Baltic Forum Presentation
KIMO Constitution - English
KIMO Constitution - Estonian
KIMO Constitution - German
KIMO Constitution - Lithuanian
KIMO Constitution - Polish
KIMO Constitution - Russian
KIMO Strategic Plan 2007 - 2012