EUROWILD authority workshop demonstrates importance of regional cooperation

In February of this year, the EUROWILD Authority Workshop was held in Helsinki, hosted by WWF Finland in collaboration with Sea Alarm. Helsinki was chosen as the location being the home of the HELCOM (Helsinki Commission) secretariat, and reflecting the Baltic Sea region’s long-standing cooperation on oil spill response. This topic is particularly timely given increasing risks from ‘shadow fleet’ vessels and the potential for significant environmental damage from oil spills in the Baltic Sea.

Since 2014, Baltic countries have collaborated under the HELCOM Wildlife Expert Group to exchange knowledge on oiled wildlife preparedness and response. Despite progress, many countries still face significant challenges in responding to large-scale wildlife incidents due to limited capacity, insufficient funding, unclear responsibilities, and gaps in legislation and inter-organisational cooperation.

Under the Erasmus+ funded EUROWILD project, the workshop aimed to address these gaps by fostering targeted discussions, enhancing cross-border collaboration, and strengthening cooperation between authorities and NGOs. Participants included representatives from seven Baltic Sea countries (Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Germany, and Sweden), three North Sea countries (Netherlands, Belgium, Spain), and the HELCOM secretariat. The workshop had a balanced representation between authorities and NGOs supporting its objective of improving collaboration.

Key outcomes were increased awareness for those attending of the importance of wildlife preparedness, improved understanding of EUROWA tools and best practices, and enhanced regional knowledge exchange. Feedback was highly positive, with participants valuing face-to-face interaction, shared learning, and WildX tabletop exercise simulations. A new WildX module focussing on regional cooperation was held on the second day, where participants were encouraged, through discussions, to identify priorities for future joint authority-NGO activities on a national, regional and EU level.

The workshop demonstrated the critical importance of regional cooperation in addressing the complex challenges of oiled wildlife response. Its outcomes will inform future work within HELCOM and the Bonn Agreement, contributing to stronger preparedness and more effective environmental protection across the Baltic and North Sea regions.