Dear readers,

Anyone who has wondered why Schleswig-Holstein's Environment Minister Tobias Goldschmidt cancelled the national park project after the Cancellation by the government partner CDU was not buried in October was told at the beginning of the week that it had not died. At least that was the impression I got on Monday, when the debate picked up speed again with a position paper.

One thing is certain: while the consultation process was still completed as planned despite the end of the minister's pet project, the environmental associations close to the Greens were already working on this alternative recommendation. It describes how the plan to place large areas of the German Baltic Sea under stricter protection could become a reality even without a national park law.

The concept basically provides for everything that would have been regulated in such a law, which the coalition partner does not want to agree to: large-scale protected areas with requirements and sanctioned prohibitions, compliance with which is to be monitored by an administration. If a legal regulation of the Baltic Sea National Park, which has failed for the time being, were to gain majority support after the next election, the park would be virtually already in place.

The role of the State Nature Conservation Officer, who is appointed by the Minister of the Environment in the Land between the Seas as a link between voluntary and full-time nature conservation, shows that the associations and the Ministry are closely networked and how their interaction works. The position paper was published on his behalf. Nevertheless, Schleswig-Holstein's Greens are presenting this alternative to the failed project as an external contribution so that the process is given greater weight in the public debate.

• The position paper in question, entitled "Demands of nature conservation organisations and the state nature conservation officer for better protection of the Baltic Sea"

It goes without saying that incorporating the expertise of nature conservation experts organised in clubs and associations is part of an environment minister's job. However, he must avoid giving the impression that this parallel world is not just doing specialised work, but is shaping policy more effectively than the politicians themselves. After all, such advisors do not have a mandate to do so.

Goldschmidt knows this and is being diplomatic. He publicly expresses his delight at the "externally contributed" proposals of the new concept, which was not officially presented to his ministry, but to the state government. In fact, the handover was entre nous, the head of state had no time and was represented by Goldschmidt.

From my point of view, processes like this have a bad flavour. Because if you take a step back and look at the mosaic from a distance, you could get the impression that the initiators of the national park are now trying to push it through in a way that is not democratically legitimised. This would mean that a political project is being prioritised over the will of the voters. Because, as mentioned at the beginning, the national park has lost its majority in the cabinet.

The minister emphasised at every available opportunity that the majority of the population was in favour of the project. What's more, he confidently commented on the protests against it by saying that a minority had been very vocal and had thus distorted public opinion.

However, it is difficult to prove whether this is the case. Goldschmidt's assertion is based on a survey commissioned by BUND, according to which just over half of respondents said yes to a national park. However, the methodology of this survey was, to put it mildly, controversial. It also revealed that in the affected districts of Schleswig-Holstein, no majority was in favour of the national park. And of course there are also surveys with completely different results.

The fact is, however, that the Ministry was repeatedly confronted with questions during the consultations that were not answered (see the Interview with the Environmental Protection Officer of the Schleswig-Holstein Sailing Association).

Certainly, the minister has the coalition agreement on his side. Measures to protect the Baltic Sea were agreed there. However, the fact that he is concentrating primarily on strict utilisation regulations, which is what a national park or the now proposed nature conservation areas amount to - see opposite on the North Sea coast - is incomprehensible, at least as long as the main factors for the poor condition of the inland sea - above all nutrient inputs - are not tackled with at least the same priority.

From a sailing perspective, it is disappointing that the commitment of all interest groups involved in the consultation process to work together with politicians to improve the protection of the Baltic Sea, even without a national park, is not being taken seriously. On the contrary. A Green Party MP was quoted by the local press as saying that voluntary agreements were not enough. Such a drastic rejection of citizen participation strengthens political disenchantment and does not help the Baltic Sea.

The coalition wants to agree on a course for the protection of the Baltic Sea by mid-March. I am curious to see whether the CDU will stand firm and effectively reject restrictions on the use of the Baltic Sea for water sports enthusiasts, or whether the party of Minister President Daniel Günther will accept the tempting offer to preserve the peace of the coalition by agreeing to the plans of the extra-parliamentary Greens. That would be fatal, as it would reinforce the impression of many protest voters that political plans in our democracy are pushed through even without majorities.

Lasse Johannsen,

Deputy Editor-in-Chief YACHT

Click on it to see through:

The week in pictures

Recommended reading from the editorial team

YACHT webinars

Beginner webinars for everyone. Register now!

On 2 November, we launched our extensive range of interesting online lectures on the most important topics relating to sailing. Let our experts get you in shape for the new season. In a series of webinars, we share practical knowledge and our experience on topics that concern beginners and experts alike

• Click here for all previous "YACHT Week" columns