Organisation of the Baltic Sea Challenge

The Baltic Sea Challenge is an initiative by the Mayors of Helsinki and Turku in Finland. The Mayors are supporting the work and define the main policies and aims.

The contact persons in Helsinki and Turku, the Director General Esa Nikunen of the City Environment Division's Environment Services and the incumbent Director of Environment Protection Olli-Pekka Mäki from the Division of Environment, are co-chairs of the Executive Committee and they define the daily positions. Their task is also to support their cities' personnel in the Baltic Sea Challenge activities. The Executive Committee of the Baltic Sea Challenge also include:

from Turku

• Environmental Planner Liisa Vainio from the Division of Environment
• Director of International Relations and Protocol Services Mika Akkanen from Central Administration

from Helsinki

• Head of environmental protection Päivi Kippo-Edlund from the City Environment Division
• Team leader Jari-Pekka Pääkkönen from the City Environment Division and
• Planner Jasmin Etelämäki from the Cental Administration.

The Executive Committee decides on the practical policies, implementation, responsibilities and assignments of the Baltic Sea Challenge work in Helsinki and Turku.

The Baltic Sea Challenge Coordinators, Mari Joensuu in Helsinki and Tove Holm in Turku are in charge of practical implementation of the Baltic Sea Challenge work with the support of the Executive Committee. The Coordinators advice the Baltic Sea Challenge Network's member organisations and follow the implementation of their Baltic Sea Action Plans. The Coordinators are responsible for co-operation with other actors and organisations working for the Baltic Sea, and communication and visibility of the Challenge. They also follow the implementation of the joint Baltic Sea Action Plan of Helsinki and Turku, and participate in the implementation when necessary.

Besides the joint work of the cities, there is also an internal Baltic Sea Working Group both in Helsinki and Turku. There the relevant City Departments discuss the implementation of their own Baltic Sea actions, and how to develop internal co-operation or if there would be some totally new inter-departmental Baltic Sea actions to be carried out. The Chairs of these Working Groupa are Esa Nikunen and Olli-Pekka Mäki.