Contracting Parties
Under the Rules of Procedure the OSPAR Commission consists of representatives of each of its 16 Contracting Parties.
The Contracting Parties are Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and United Kingdom, together with the European Union. Finland is not on the western coasts of Europe, but some of its rivers flow to the Barents Sea and historically it was involved in the efforts to control the dumping of hazardous waste in the Atlantic and the North Sea. Luxembourg and Switzerland are Contracting Parties due to their location within the catchments of the River Rhine.
The Commission elects a Chairman and two Vice-Chairmen by the unanimous vote of the Contracting Parties present at annual Commission meetings. Currently the Chairman of the OSPAR Commission is Ms Carien van Zwol (Netherlands). The Vice-Chairs are Mr Richard Cronin (Ireland) and Dr Laura Piriz (Sweden).
If you wish to obtain information about national activities related to the work of OSPAR, please address your request to the relevant national contact point(s) below:
Belgium
Mr Michael Kyramarios
SPF Santé Publique, Sécurité de la Chaine alimentaire et Environnement
D G Environnement, "Affaires Internationales"- Milieu Marin
Place Victor Hortaplein, 40 bte 10
B-1060 Bruxelles
Belgium
+32 2 524 96 27
Denmark
Ms Christina Fevelje Nielsen
Danish Ministry of the Environment
Nature Agency
Haraldsgade 53
DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø
Denmark
+45 72 54 4935
European Union
Mr Michail Papadoyannakis
European Commission Environment DG
Marine Environment and Water Industry
B-1049
Brussels
Belgium
+32 2 296 3914
Finland
Ms Kristiina Isokallio
Counsellor
Ministry of the Environment
Aleksanterinkatu 7
Helsinki
FI-00023 Government, Finland
+ 358 50 5819618
France
Mr Sébastien de Vaujany
Ministère des Affaires Etrangères
et du Développement International
27 rue de la Convention, CS91533
F-75732 PARIS Cedex 15
France
+33 (0)1 43 17 82 63
Ms Carole Semichon
Ministère de l’Environnement, de l’Energie et de la Mer
Direction des affaires européennes et internationales
Tour Pascal A, 6 place des Degrés
92055 La Défense Cedex
+33 (0) 1 4081 7665
Germany
Dr Ingo Narberhaus
Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz
Bau und Reaktorsicherheit
Robert-Schuman-Platz 3
D-53175 Bonn
GERMANY
+49 3018 305 2526
Iceland
Ms Sesselja Bjarnadóttir
Ministry for the Environment
Skuggasund 1
IS-101 Reykjavik
ICELAND
+ 354 545 8655
http://www.umhverfisraduneyti.is/
Ireland
Mr Richard Cronin
Department of Environment, Community and Local Government
Floor 2, 1A South Mall
Cork
IRELAND
00 353 868 349 513
Luxembourg
Ms Anne-Marie Reckinger
Water Management Administration
1 avenue du Rock and Roll
L-4361 Esch-sur-Alzette
LUXEMBOURG
+352 26 02 86 37
Netherlands
Mr Wim van Urk
Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment
Plesmanweg 1 - 6
Postbus 20904
NL – 2597 JG The Hague
THE NETHERLANDS
wim.van.urk@minienm.nl
+31 6 525 96097
Norway
Ms Hanne-Grete Nilsen
Ministry of Climate and Environment
PO Box 8013 Dep
N-0030 Oslo
NORWAY
+47 22 24 58 72
Portugal
Mr José Manuel Marques
Direçao Geral de Recursos Naturais, Segurança e Serviços Marítimos
Av. Brasilia
1449-030 Lisbon
Portugal
+351 213 035 711
Spain
Ms Itziar Martin Partida
Ministerio de Agricultura y Pesca, Alimentacion y Medio Ambiene
Madrid
Spain
Sweden
Ms Laura Piriz
Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management
Postal address:
The Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management
Box 11930
SE-404 39 Göteborg
SWEDEN
Visiting address:
Gullbergs Strandgata 15, 411 04, Göteborg, Sweden
+ 46 (0)10 698 62 48
