ABSTRACT
Different kinds of international organizations are often seen as the most important actors in addressing large-scale environmental concerns. These organizations are usually established with the purpose of combating transboundary environmental disturbances. The threats to the ecological health of the Baltic Sea were quite apparent in the late 1960s, and the Helsinki Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area was signed in 1974. This was the first international convention addressing all kinds of pollution in a particular region. An Interim Commission was established which focused mainly on discharges of harmful substances and monitoring the state of the marine environment. 1 The 1974 Helsinki Convention entered into force in May 1980, and the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM) was formally established as the main intergovernmental body. A new convention was signed in 1992 as a consequence of the dramatically changed political landscape at the south-eastern rim, and entered into force in early 2000.
