Member State report / Art14 / 2022 / D5 / Poland / Baltic Sea
| Report type | Member State report to Commission |
| MSFD Article | Art. 14 Exceptions (and Art. 17 updates) |
| Report due | 2022-10-15 |
| GES Descriptor | D5 Eutrophication |
| Member State | Poland |
| Region/subregion | Baltic Sea |
| Report date | 1900-01-01 |
| Report access | 363 |
Marine reporting units |
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Region subregion |
Baltic Sea |
Baltic Sea |
Exception code |
PL-E03 |
PL-E04 |
Exception old code |
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Exception name |
Non-achievement of GES with regard to Descriptor D5 ""Eutrophication"" |
Non-achievement of GES with regard to Descriptor D5 ""Eutrophication"" |
Exception type |
Art. 14(1)(a) |
Art. 14(1)(e) |
Exception reason |
Action needed by another Member State(s);Action needed by another non-EU state(s) |
Other(e) |
GES achieved |
2050 |
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Relevant pressures |
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Relevant targets |
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GES component |
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Relevant features |
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Justification description |
Poland is responsible for a major part of the external nutrient loading that causes the eutrophication of Polish Marine Waters, but calculations both by HELCOM and by the Polish uPoM team indicate unequiovocally that reduction of Poland's nutrient loads to meet HELCOM-defined National Iput Ceilings (NIC) will not be sufficient to achieve GES in Polish Marine Waters and that significant reductions of loads from other Baltic Sea states are necessary. According to HELCOM data, the following countries contribute excess amounts of nutrients to the Baltic Proper: Belarus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Latva, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, Ukraine. In addition, a number of (mostly EU) countries as well as Baltic Sea shipping contribute excessive loads of airborne nitrogen. Currently, all Polish Marine Reporting Units display subGES status with regard to eutrophication, although, the list of components that have failed to reach GES thresholds varies from one Reporting Unit to another. |
The water retention time in the Baltic Sea is approximately 25 years, with completely mixed surface layers typically exchanged more quickly and non-mixing deep waters under the halocline exchanged much more slowly. This means that even in the surface layers one may expect the full conversion of reduction of nutrient inputs to reduction of nutrient concentrations to take about 10 years. This process will be a number of times slower in the case of deep waters below the halocline. Consequently, even an immediate cessation of excess inputs of nutrients from all Baltic Sea states is highly unlikely to result in the restoration of GES in most of the Baltic Sea. One should bear in mind that such immediate cessation is impossible, since, given the size of the Baltic Sea basin, any reduction of nutrient releases at source (farmland, wwtps) will require at least a few years to convert fully into a reduction of riverine nutrient loads. Finally, since the main source of excess nutrients is agriculture, an immediate and indiscriminate reduction of nutrient loads through such measures as bans on fertilizers would be completely unfeasible, if not due to lack of social acceptance, then due to unprecedented damage to food security in the whole of the Baltic Sea basin. If the required nutrient reductions are to be achieved, they will have to be achieved through very careful and precise planning, so as to ensure maximum reductions at minimal cost to farmland and agricultural output. Even with maximum allocation of resources, such planning and, more importantly, execution, will inevitably also take significant time, in the range of 10 to 15 years. Considering all of the above, one should not expect GES to be reached in all of Polish Marine Waters before 2050, although GES may be achieved earlier in some Marine Reporting Units. |
Spatial scope geographic zones |
Transitional waters (WFD);Coastal waters (WFD);Territorial waters;EEZ (or similar) |
Transitional waters (WFD);Coastal waters (WFD);Territorial waters;EEZ (or similar) |
Mitigation |
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Measures ad hoc |
Poland's updated PoM contains a number of measures dedicated to the reduction of nutrient loading of the Baltic Sea. The total nutrient load reduction achieved as a direct result of implementations of these measures will not be sufficient to ensure GES and therefore all of these measures should be regarded as ad hoc measures. The measures include the following:
Measures continued from the 1st cycle following modifications:
BALPL-M017 Introduction of a ban on discharge of untreated sanitary sewage from passenger ships in Baltic Sea
BALPL-M020 Increasing the amount of land covered by fertilization plans
BALPL-M021 Ensuring the conditions for the safe storage of natural fertilizers
BALPL-M023 Process optimization in existing municipal wastewater treatment plants
BALPL-M025 Use of drainage ditches to reduce the load of nutrients from agricultural land
BALPL-M026 Continuation and strengthening of the water protection agenda in agricultural extension services
BALPL-M027 Assessment of the technical and economic feasibility of increasing the nitrogen reduction at selected wastewater treatment plants of the chemical industry
Measures introduced for the first time in the updated PoM:
PL-D5-M023 Analysis of the potential for increasing phosphorus removal in wastewater treatment plants;
PL-D5-M024 Differentiation of fines for exceeding permissible nutrient concentrations in treated wastewater;
PL-D5-M025 Combined sewer overflows - an analysis of the scale of the problem and an action plan;
PL-D5-M026 Catchment-based agricultural pollution reduction schemes - a pilot project;
PL-D5-M027 Development of a ""Nutrient Reduction Strategy"";
PL-D5-M028 Modification of slurry management rules
PL-D5-M029 Limiting logging in forests neighbouring on surface waters
PL-D5-M030 Recovery of nutrients from wastewater sludge - a pilot project. It should be noted that the Nutrient Reduction Strategy is designed to achieve National Input Ceilings as determined by HELCOM. However, according to the updated PoM, the Strategy will be developed during the current cycle and implemented after 2027. |
Poland's updated PoM contains a number of measures dedicated to the reduction of nutrient loading of the Baltic Sea. The total nutrient load reduction achieved as a direct result of implementations of these measures will not be sufficient to ensure GES and therefore all of these measures should be regarded as ad hoc measures. The measures include the following:
Measures continued from the 1st cycle following modifications:
BALPL-M017 Introduction of a ban on discharge of untreated sanitary sewage from passenger ships in Baltic Sea
BALPL-M020 Increasing the amount of land covered by fertilization plans
BALPL-M021 Ensuring the conditions for the safe storage of natural fertilizers
BALPL-M023 Process optimization in existing municipal wastewater treatment plants
BALPL-M025 Use of drainage ditches to reduce the load of nutrients from agricultural land
BALPL-M026 Continuation and strengthening of the water protection agenda in agricultural extension services
BALPL-M027 Assessment of the technical and economic feasibility of increasing the nitrogen reduction at selected wastewater treatment plants of the chemical industry
Measures introduced for the first time in the updated PoM:
PL-D5-M023 Analysis of the potential for increasing phosphorus removal in wastewater treatment plants;
PL-D5-M024 Differentiation of fines for exceeding permissible nutrient concentrations in treated wastewater;
PL-D5-M025 Combined sewer overflows - an analysis of the scale of the problem and an action plan;
PL-D5-M026 Catchment-based agricultural pollution reduction schemes - a pilot project;
PL-D5-M027 Development of a ""Nutrient Reduction Strategy"";
PL-D5-M028 Modification of slurry management rules
PL-D5-M029 Limiting logging in forests neighbouring on surface waters
PL-D5-M030 Recovery of nutrients from wastewater sludge - a pilot project. It should be noted that the Nutrient Reduction Strategy is designed to achieve National Input Ceilings as determined by HELCOM. However, according to the updated PoM, the Strategy will be developed during the current cycle and implemented after 2027. |
Further information |
https://chronmorze.eu/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Projekt-aPOWM_23.08.2022.pdf
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https://chronmorze.eu/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Projekt-aPOWM_23.08.2022.pdf
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