OREANDA-NEWS. June 17, 2011. Public Company ORLEN Lietuva and other three Lithuanian companies – waste water treatment facilities of Kaunas, Kлdainiai and Palanga towns – were crossed out from the list of major pollutants of the Baltic Sea. This was decided at the meeting of Heads of Delegations of Helsinki Convention Member Countries, which was held yesterday in Helsinki.

According to Dalius Krinickas, Director of Water Department of the Ministry of Environment, “Helsinki Commission agreed to the proposal of Lithuania to cross out the above mentioned companies from the list of so-called “hot spots” as they are modernized and meet all the environmental requirements”.

The list of major Baltic Sea pollutants was created in 1992. The Helsinki Commission added to the list 132 refineries, waste water treatment facilities and territories with overspread pollution problem (for example, agricultural companies). At that time there were 16 objects in Lithuania nominated as “hot spots”.

“Actions towards rebuilding the marine ecosystem have to be seen as one of the major steps towards achieving a cleaner Baltic Sea”, says Anne Christine Brusendorff, Helsinki Commission Executive Secretary. They will radically reduce pollution to the marine environment and restore its good ecological status by 2021, which is the ultimate target of Helsinki Convention Baltic Sea Action Plan.