News for topic Water

Every day, we hear more about the forever chemicals called PFAS in the media. The news often deal with novel research showing the harm PFAS can cause to human health. In medical research, reduced immune system, diminished response to vaccines especially in children, increased cancer risk and blood pressure, decreased fertility already have been connected to PFAS exposure – and the publication of the results often makes headlines.

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. 

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.

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.