News for topic Water

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.

The webinar brought together experts and local authorities from across the Baltic Sea Region to explore integrated strategies for climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction. It was opened by Agnieszka Ilola, Head of Secretariat at the UBC Sustainable Cities, and Kaspars Vārpiņš, Chairman of the UBC Safe Cities, outlining the priorities for local authorities to increase climate resilience.

"Cities can react swiftly when new challenges evolve, they have better skills to maneuver the change."- Anna-Kaisa Ikonen, Minister of Local and Regional Government of Finland

This spring, our Commission highlighted the Baltic Sea Region as the forerunner in innovative solutions to water pollution on the most prominent arenas! We organised a workshop at the EU Mission Ocean Arena in Sopot and launched the EMPEREST 4th workshop in Szczecin to share latest knowledge with the local authorities and operators.

Due to climate change, extreme weather events like droughts, heavy rainfall, and heatwaves are becoming more frequent across the Baltic Sea Region. As these impacts intensify, cities face growing pressure to adapt and prepare. In response, the city of Turku is strengthening its climate resilience through the RESIST project.

Project platforms of Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme aim to structure and disseminate outcomes from various projects to create even more innovative, sustainable, and interconnected Baltic Sea region, fostering synergies, enhancing knowledge transfer, and amplifying policy impacts. With this role, project platforms not only maximise the impact of individual projects but also contribute to shaping policies and strategies at regional and EU levels.

ClimaResponse has been developed to address the increasing climate-related challenges faced by municipalities and communities, and its official launch took place on 1–2 April 2025 in Stockholm, Sweden. During two days filled with intensive discussions, partners clarified the next steps and planned the implementation further ahead.

Tackling organic micropollutants amidst new EU regulations The context of this challenge was introduced at the webinar by Mikhail Durkin, Executive Secretary at the Coalition Clean Baltic, presenting the impact of micropollutants on aquatic environment and the European regulatory advances.

Our annual report is here: we have compiled major highlights from the activities of our Sustainable Cities Commission and the UBC member cities over 2024. The report is aligned with the core topics of UBC SAP 2030: water, mobility, energy, resource-efficiency, and biodiversity.

Microplastics are environmental pollutants posing a risk to both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. What can be done at the municipal level to contribute to reducing the microplastic problem?