Latest News

The success of the competition was supported by an international jury of experts from science, politics, and practice who took on the challenging task of assessing policies that are each unique in scope, approach, and context. Among the Jury members, was our Head of Secretariat of the UBC Sustainable Cities Commission Agnieszka Ilola!

Neighbourhoods as living laboratories Halinen and Jyrkkälä are ordinary, lived-in suburbs where forests, courtyards and riverbanks are part of daily routines. Before choosing any pilot sites, Turku carried out ecological mapping and resident surveys to understand existing habitats, how people use them and where realistic opportunities for biodiversity improvements exist.

The conference “The Future of Water in the Changing World: Innovative solutions against PFAS and micropollutants” was organized by two sister projects, EMPEREST and APRIORA, marking the successful ending of EMPEREST, while APRIORA continues its work for another year. Both projects stem from EU legislation change, namely the revision of the directive regulating urban wastewater treatment.

The training brings together the expertise of the project partners, the Union of the Baltic Cities Sustainable Cities Commission (UBC SCC), the University of Gdańsk, the Institute of Baltic Studies, and UBC member cities of Turku, Gdynia, Cēsis, Greifswald, Panevėžys, and Gävle.

BSR Urban Mobility platform project has launched a survey to define the state of the art in sustainable urban mobility and logistics planning in the Baltic Sea region cities and regions. The survey is open until 19 December 2025. Access the survey here: Survey on sustainable urban mobility and logistics planning

The BlueActionBANOS project is officially setting sail to empower communities across the Baltic and North Sea (BANOS) region to restore their local marine and aquatic environments. 

A strong call for strategic and ambitious public procurement Speakers highlighted that public procurement shapes entire markets, representing up to 14% of national GDP in many EU countries. When used strategically, it becomes a direct lever for innovation and sustainability.

The conference reaffirmed the network's primary goal of creating a more resilient, innovative, and united Baltic Sea region. Cities need to be at the table, not on the menu With these key words, UBC President Mantas Jurgutis addressed the conference participants. In these tumultuous times, it's vital to have strong and consolidated messages amplifying the city voices.

The revised directive aims to better protect human health and the environment from the effects of untreated urban wastewater. Large wastewater treatment plants with a pollution load of over 150,000 people will be required to introduce quaternary treatment to remove a broad spectrum of micropollutants by 2045. EMPEREST project supports these investments with its pilots on micropollutant removal technologies.

For the first time, the project consortium has gathered in Hamburg – the host city of the lead partner – Hafen City University and several other partners. The kick-off meeting, held on 24-25 September, has brought together the experts and practitioners representing regional energy agencies, municipalities, specialized networks, and academic institutions contributing to address the challenge of energy transition.

As public procurement constitutes a significant share of public expenditure and influences entire markets, Green Public Procurement is increasingly recognised as a high-impact lever of change. The Green Governance Day will serve as a high-level platform placing sustainability at the heart of political and practical action, enabling cities, institutions, and networks to shape the future together.

The project marks a new chapter in the EU’s Mission “Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030” by shifting from an initial phase of research and pilot projects to a second phase where focus is on upscaling solutions by supporting community-led initiatives and local transitions.