News for topic Green-governance

Municipalities across the Baltic Sea Region are facing increasing climate‑related risks, while working under very different local conditions, capacities, and governance frameworks. To better support this work, the ClimaResponse project is developing a digital platform tailored to help municipalities implement more effective climate adaptation measures: participate in a short survey on climate adaptation capacity and preparedness!

In the upcoming policy package, the commission aims to establish a more systematic and ambitious approach to climate resilience and preparedness across the EU. The framework is expected to be adopted during the last quarter of 2026. As cities are at the forefront of climate change, witnessing the impact of climate change and working closely with adaptation and resilience, we encourage UBC member cities to participate in the open consultation.

The opening conference day felt less like a conclusion and more like a preview of what lies ahead for the Baltic Sea Region. From the outset, speakers made it clear that circularity is no longer a distant ambition but an active practice. Cities like Turku – the event host aiming to achieve carbon neutrality by 2029 – demonstrated how circular solutions are already being tested in real-life environments, spanning construction, food systems and water cycles.

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!

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 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.

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.

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.