For HELCOM, 2024 is a very special year, as it marks our organization’s fiftieth anniversary. On April 25th, 2024, the jubilee was commemorated by a celebratory event in Riga, Latvia. Held at the Latvian National Library’s impressive Ziedonis Hall, the celebration brought together an array of distinguished speakers and panelists and around 150 other participants from around and beyond the Baltic Sea region and featured the famous Latvian band Tautumeitas. The atmosphere was festive but not self-congratulatory, which seems entirely appropriate. Because, while a fiftieth anniversary is generally considered a reason to celebrate, the case is less clear-cut for an organization such as HELCOM, which aims not only to protect but also to improve the state of the environment. Or, to quote the Helsinki Convention, “to promote the ecological restoration of the Baltic Sea Area and the preservation of its ecological balance.”
Message by: Rüdiger Strempel, HELCOM Executive Secretary
