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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.

How do cities know if their mobility plans really work? On 7 October, the UBC Sustainable Cities Commission and the Interreg Baltic Sea Region SUMPs for BSR project brought this question to centre stage in a UBC TALKS webinar. The discussion focused on Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) as a hands-on tool—helping cities measure progress, engage people, and move faster toward sustainable mobility.

On 1–3 October 2025, over 70 urban leaders, climate experts, and changemakers gathered in Malmö, Sweden, for the annual Union of the Baltic Cities Sustainable Cities Commission meeting. Under the theme “Creating Climate-Proof and Nature-Positive Cities Together,” the event became a powerful platform for cities across the Baltic Sea Region to collaborate on urgent environmental challenges – and the solutions needed to meet them.

Our UBC Sustainable Cities Commission teamed up with the Turku University of Applied Sciences in organising a joint session, building on the research, piloting and data findings within the EMPEREST and NonHazCity3 projects. The objective of the panel was to explore how the harmful effects of hazardous substances on nature, people, and the circular economy can be minimized.

Dear colleagues, We are pleased to invite you to take part in the mid-term evaluation survey of the UBC Sustainability Action Programme 2030 (UBC SAP 2030).

The Plastic Waste Management Platform is launched, and you can now register and explore its interactive content!

How can cities strengthen their active mobility and make better planning decisions? Within the SUMPs for BSR project, the City of Greifswald is testing two complementary approaches: a mobile bicycle parking – a part of a small-scale experiment for active mobility measures, and a pilot to explore innovative data collection with mobile sensors.

Under the ESCO model, over 13,000 outdated lighting fixtures have been replaced in 27 educational institutions across Liepāja. As a result, lighting capacity has been reduced by 62%, annual electricity consumption has decreased by 570 MWh (equivalent to savings of approximately €120,000), and CO₂ emissions have been cut by 62 tonnes annually, comparable to the emissions of 25 cars per year.

We are pleased to invite UBC member cities to nominate a representative to extend the meaningful collaboration as a member of the Advisory Board for the 2026–2027 term.