In July 2026, Bellona Europa joined 24 other industry, research, and civil society organisations in calling on the Contracting Parties to the Helsinki Convention and HELCOM, through an open letter, to explore practical legal mechanisms that enable the environmentally safe geological storage of CO₂ beneath the Baltic Sea.

The letter highlights that legal clarity is essential to unlock the Baltic Sea’s potential as a key part of Europe’s CO₂ storage network and to facilitate investment in CO₂ transport and storage infrastructure. We urge the Contracting Parties to establish an enabling regional legal framework that complements the EU’s Industrial Carbon Management Strategy and Net-Zero Industry Act, ensuring Baltic Sea countries have access to safe geological CO₂ storage to support industrial decarbonisation, European competitiveness, and climate objectives.

Read more in our joint letter below.

• Helsinki Convention Open Letter (pdf)