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Innovative societies Water-smart societies Climate-neutral societies 

Interreg makes
a difference!

Explore how people in the Baltic Sea region have been benefitting
from our projects.

#MadeWithInterreg solutions for

Cleaner waters

Cleaner waters thanks to viable monitoring system, new methods for removing micropollutants from wastewater and sharing knowledge

What are we doing?

Coordinated actions are the key to cleaning Baltic Sea waters efficiently. Interreg projects that bring people together across sectors and countries stand behind many of them. Not only do they introduce new systemic methods to clean wastewater, but also ensure the spread of knowledge of those methods in the region. Trust in project recommendations directly translates into new policies and investments. In a long run, cooperation in projects exceeds original partnerships and builds grounds for new initiatives and actions to respond to arising challenges.

Examples of #MadeWithInterreg solutions:
  • a platform collecting best practices in smart water operations
  • a risk assessment system to monitor concentrations of micropollutants
  • novel methods to clean wastewater from micropollutants, e.g. pharmaceuticals
  • new technologies to reduce phosphorus losses
  • enhanced water treatment to improve water quality in lakes

 

What we’ve achieved so far? 

The Baltic Sea is one of the most heavily eutrophicated seas in the world. Interreg projects helped improve wastewater treatment, which is one of the factors influencing eutrophication. At the beginning of the 2000s, more than 20 cities collected best practices in water management and shared them with other city administrations around the Baltic Sea region. In 2009-2013, projects showcased that it was possible to reduce discharges of nutrients from wastewater treatment facilities to the level set in the Baltic Sea Action Plan of HELCOM. The HELCOM Action Plan targets were stricter than the EU requirement.

In 2016-2021, projects in cities and villages focused on improving the treatment of wastewater from residents and industries. Partners in projects tested new technologies that increased nutrient removal and reduced energy consumption in cities such as Daugavpils, Gdańsk, Tartu, Jūrmala, Kaunas, and Grevesmühlen. Rural municipalities benefitted from solutions like septic tanks and soil infiltration in Kolgaküla, Gennarby, Ainaži, and Leitgiriai. In other projects, partners tested the pre-treatment of wastewater at poultry, meat, and dairy factories in Leszno, Doruchów, Põltsamaa, and Jelgava. Following this joint work, the partners synthesised more than a hundred examples of smart water operations. Using this knowledge, they helped develop the new Baltic Sea Regional Nutrient Recycling Strategy of HELCOM, and revise the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan. These two strategic documents help achieve a healthy state of the Baltic Sea.

 

Ongoing projects

The ongoing projects explore new methods to clean wastewater more efficiently and better monitor concentrations of harmful substances and micropollutants in water environments. They address various stages of water management, starting from pollution prevention at its source, extending to robust monitoring and risk assessment practices, and culminating in the adoption of advanced wastewater treatment technologies. The projects aim to influence policy-making processes and implement practical measures for long-term improvements.

 

Supporting the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region 

Our projects play a vital role in achieving the ambitious goals of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR) to save the Baltic Sea. In collaboration with the coordinators of the EUSBSR policy areas Nutri, Bioeconomy, Hazards, and Tourism, our projects make water and wastewater management more efficient and less resource-intensive in cities, rural areas, and tourist destinations. Together, our projects and the EUSBSR coordinators drive changes in water-related policies in our region, ensuring that the outcomes of our projects are integrated into legislation and continue to contribute to clearer, cleaner waters in the region.

 

Explore project solutions in more detail:

EMPEREST

Eliminating Micro-Pollutants from Effluents for REuse STrategies
The project EMPEREST tests advanced treatment technology that helps water utilities and companies better remove organic micropollutants such as PFAS or pharmaceuticals from wastewater.
Read more about the project

APRIORA

Improved risk assessment for strategic water management to reduce micro-pollutant emissions in the Baltic Sea Region
In the project APRIORA, environmental protection agencies and wastewater treatment plants get equipped with a GIS-based risk assessment system to monitor and model concentrations of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) in order to improve water management and reduce emissions.
Read more about the project

BEACON

Application of biological effects methods in monitoring and assessment of contaminants in the Baltic Sea
In the project BEACON, public authorities and governmental organisations develop harmonised methods to assess contamination in the Baltic Sea waters, sediment and biota.
Read more about the project

AdvIQwater

Improving quality of BSR waters by advanced treatment processes
The project AdvIQwater tests photocatalysis, fungal treatment and biofilms methods to efficiently clean wastewaters from pharmaceuticals.
Read more about the project

NonHazCity 3

Reducing hazardous substances in construction to safeguard the aquatic environment, protect human health and achieve more sustainable buildings
The project NonHazCity 3 helps municipalities, entrepreneurs and individuals construct and renovate buildings with tox-free materials in order to protect health and the environment.
Read more about the project

TRUST ALUM

Building trust in target groups for ALUM treatment - an effective, yet misunderstood method for water quality improvement
The project TRUST ALUM helps public authorities in the Baltic countries make better use of ALUM water treatment and improve water quality in lakes.
Read more about the project

MUNIMAP

Baltic Sea Munitions Remediation Roadmap
The project MUNIMAP develops a legal and administrative framework for public authorities to initiate joint remediation of dumped munitions from the Baltic Sea and Skagerrak, which pose threats to the marine ecosystem and hinder the maritime economy.
Read more about the project

BSR Urban Mobility

Enhancing active and efficient urban mobility in the Baltic Sea region
The BSR Urban Mobility project platform connects cities, regional authorities, and policymakers in a peer learning network to support the implementation of sustainable urban mobility plans and deliver on EU goals for multimodal, zero-emission transport. BSR Urban Mobility consolidates outcomes from 17 EU projects.
Read more about the project

NURSECOAST-II

Model Nutrients Reduction Solutions In Near-Coast Touristic Areas
The NURSECOAST-II project guides public authorities, water companies and tourist businesses on how to reduce seasonal increase in wastewater production and nutrient discharges in touristic areas.
Read more about the project

CCC

Creative Circular Cities - Promoting circular transition at local level by involving the Culture & Creative Sectors and Industries
In the project Creative Circular Cities, local authorities, business support organisations and NGOs showcase in six demo cities how cultural and creative sectors and industries can trigger circular business growth and promote circular consumption among people.
Read more about the project

SWW

Smart and Safe Work Wear Clothing
The Interreg project SWW showcased enterprises manufacturing work wear in the Baltic Sea region how to introduce mass customisation and integrate IT technology into clothing, and by this to increase their competitiveness against new producers and cheap imports from Asian markets.
Read more about the project

Baltic Sea Food

Baltic Sea Food
The Interreg project Baltic Sea Food developed a new business model for business-to-business (B2B) distribution in the local food sector and helped small and medium-sized enterprises in rural areas to improve business performance.
Read more about the project

AMR_Northwest_Russia

Preventing further development of antibiotic resistance in pneumococcal isolates in Northwest Russia
The project AMR_Northwest_Russia addresses the challenge of regional healthcare authorities and local healthcare institutions to treat patients exposed to developing a bacterial superinfection combined with a coronavirus infection (COVID-19). As the diagnostic and treatment of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) in the Northwest part of Russia is not optimal, the project aims to increase diagnostics quality and establish the monitoring system that can help to improve treatment quality for the region’s inhabitants.
Read more about the project

NonHazCity

Innovative management solutions for minimizing emissions of hazardous substances from urban areas in the Baltic Sea Region
The Interreg project NonHazCity enabled nine municipalities around the Baltic Sea to develop their chemical action plans for hazardous substances entering the Baltic Sea, and trained dozens of small businesses and households to reduce their emissions.
Read more about the project

BALTIPLAST

Baltic Approaches to Handling Plastic Pollution under a Circular Economy Context
The project BALTIPLAST brings technological solutions to help public authorities reduce plastic waste and trigger investments in sustainable sorting and recycling.
Read more about the project

Sohjoa Last Mile

Sohjoa Last Mile - Baltic Sea Region transitioning into eco-friendly autonomous last mile public transportation
Sohjoa Last Mile helped cities in the Baltic Sea region introduce automated public transportation vehicles.
Read more about the project

MAMBA

Maximised Mobility and Accessibility of Services in Regions Affected by Demographic Change
The Interreg project MAMBA introduced innovative mobility solutions making public transport, welfare services and goods delivery more convenient and accessible in rural areas across the Baltic Sea region.
Read more about the project

ECOPRODIGI

ECOPRODIGI
The project ECOPRODIGI made the processes in the maritime industry more eco-efficient and sustainable by introducing cutting-edge digital solutions.
Read more about the project

Climate-4-CAST

A Climate Action decision Support Tool to accelerate cities’ progress towards climate neutrality
Climate-4-CAST provides local public authorities with an open-source Decision Support Tool to plan climate-smart public budgets, model action scenarios with climate neutrality measures, and track progress toward climate goals.
Read more about the project

ChemClimCircle

Integrating criteria for chemicals, climate and circularity in procurement processes
The project ChemClimCircle equips municipalities with training modules to apply circular procurement and, by this, to use non-toxic and climate-neutral products.
Read more about the project

REPHIRA

Reduction of Pharmaceutical Emissions from Dispersed Point Sources in Rural Areas
Pharmaceuticals are essential for health care but difficult to remove from our waste waters. The Baltic Sea receives constantly loads not only emitted in the coastal areas but also within the catchment areas. In these rural areas, many small point sources accumulate and may pose a risk to the environment. The project attempts to identify, quantify and evaluate the pharmaceutical loads as well as developing an approach to prioritize point sources regarding advanced treatment technologies.
Read more about the project

ConnectedByBiobord

Biobord open innovation platform connecting bioeconomy developers in BSR
The project upgraded and extended the earlier developed digital innovation platform for bioeconomy developers Biobord.
Read more about the project

CiNURGi

Circular nutrients for a sustainable Baltic Sea Region
The project CiNURGi brings companies into symbioses to recycle nutrient-rich biomass from agricultural, municipal, and industrial sources into safe fertilizers, and provides authorities with roadmaps to further facilitate reducing nutrient losses in future.
Read more about the project

RDI2CluB

Rural RDI milieus in transition towards smart Bioeconomy Clusters and Innovation Ecosystems
RDI2Club facilitated business development in rural areas and boosted bioeconomy growth in five countries across the Baltic Sea region.
Read more about the project

MI-RAP

Music Industry Resilience Acceleration Programme
The project MI-RAP helps local authorities, sectoral agencies and business support organisations attract fresh talents to the music industry, while ensuring more cross-sectoral cooperation and integration of emerging technologies and green practices at the same time.
Read more about the project

HybReDe

Effective joint hybrid e-rehabilitation solutions for BSR citizens
The project HybReDe helps health professionals test and adopt AI-powered Virtual Assistants in rehabilitation to make public healthcare more efficient and accessible for patients.
Read more about the project

GoSmart&Excel BSR

Strengthening smart specialisation by fostering transnational cooperation and practical application of novel solutions for regions and SMEs
GoSmart&Excel BSR helped SMEs and other innovation actors to become more innovative and internalionalised.
Read more about the project

HansaLink

Linking Hanseatic Cultural Heritage in the Baltic Sea Region
The rich cultural heritage of the Hanseatic League is being individually presented in Hanseatic towns, but not yet as a common asset at the transnational level. To address this gap, the project aims at developing transnational links between Hanseatic towns and sights based on historic trade connections dating back to medieval times. It will conceptualize thematic routes, which allow citizens and visitors to experience a culture shaped by trade, individual encounters, and common economic policy.
Read more about the project

CIRC-2-ZERO

Driving Collaborative Innovation towards Decarbonization and Advanced Manufacturing in SMEs across the Baltic Sea Region
CIRC-2-ZERO supports SMEs in the Baltic Sea Region’s Electronics and Engineered Wood Product sectors in accelerating decarbonization by adopting circular design and process optimization practices
Read more about the project

R-Mode Baltic

Ranging Mode for the Baltic Sea
The Interreg project R-Mode Baltic launched a technical system for a safer ship navigation, and placed the Baltic Sea as a first operational navigation test area for maritime terrestrial navigation on the global map.
Read more about the project

Baltic Sea e-Nav

Shared waters – Same standards. Baltic Sea Partnership for Future Navigation
The project Baltic Sea e-Nav creates the next generation of navigational products and services compliant with new international standards, enabling national authorities and other maritime organisations to ensure safer, more harmonised and eco-efficient navigation at the Baltic Sea.
Read more about the project

Land-Sea-Act

Accommodating of land-sea interactions into maritime and coastal planning in the Baltic Sea Region through blue-green infrastructure and ecosystem services
Land-Sea-Interaction and Ecosystem-Based-Approach are concepts that consider the human impact on coastal areas and strive for integrating aspects of sustainability and resource efficiency when it comes to maritime spatial planning. The project aims at improving the understanding and embedding the principles of Land-Sea-Interaction and Ecosystem-Based-Approach within the maritime and land-based spatial planning in order to contribute to cohesive management of the coastal areas.
Read more about the project

DAIMON 2

Decision Aid for Marine Munitions - Practical Application
The project DAIMON2 optimised the tools that allow maritime and environmental authorities to more accurately and less costly make decisions on the management of the dumped munitions.
Read more about the project

ERREC 2.0 prep

Environmental Responsibility and Resource Efficiency - Preparing ERREC 2.0 project
The project strives to strengthen cooperation between higher education institutions and industrial companies to better implement the circular economy approach in the industrial sector. By bringing together students, companies and university faculty members for research & development of topics relevant to the industry, the possibilities will be examined to improve the companies’ management of resources and environmental efficiency.
Read more about the project

FoodLoops

Local cooperation for circular biowaste in schools and beyond
The project FoodLoops establishes cooperation among schools, caterers (SMEs), farmers, and professionals in a circular economy to improve biowaste separation at source, prevent excessive food waste and reuse it as organic compost.
Read more about the project

OIL SPILL

Enhancing Oil Spill Response Capability in the Baltic Sea Region
The project OIL SPILL helped public authorities, NGOs and voluntary organisations improve oil spill response and make it faster, better coordinated, and more efficient.
Read more about the project

Baltic Sea2Land

Fostering integrated governance for the joint sustainable use of human and natural capital in the near shore zone
The project Baltic Sea2Land equips public authorities with the navigator tool that helps harmonise land and marine planning and balance initiatives that impact coastal development.
Read more about the project

SUMPs for BSR

Sustainable Urban Mobility Planning for climate resilient BSR cities
The transition of cities from a focus on cars to "mobility for people" is at the core of sustainable urban mobility plans. Such plans are currently being implemented in Europe and world-wide to facilitate a paradigm shift from transport to mobility planning. It requires a harmonized approach to strategic urban planning: climate, energy, urban development and mobility plans need to be in line, striving towards the same vision. To make this concept accessible, especially for small and mid-sized cities in the Baltic Sea region and to support them on the way to implementation - this is the challenge the seed money project addresses.
Read more about the project

SchoolChanger

Empowering young generations to help municipalities and public institutions in the Baltic Sea Region develop smart, nature-based, sense-friendly, and socially responsible solutions reinforcing their well-being
The project SchoolChanger involves students in co-creating school spaces with teachers, school management, and experts to better address their psychological and social needs and prepare them for community-minded roles in the future.
Read more about the project

CM

Cross Motion
The Interreg project CM helped audio-visual and videogame industry boost their businesses and enter new markets by teaming them up with traditional sectors of education, tourism and healthcare, and innovating their products with audio-visual content.
Read more about the project

Solutions stay with the people: listen to our #InterregVoices

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

© UBC SCC/Mariia Andreeva

Thanks to Interreg (...), we created momentum for essential aspects of sustainable water management connected to climate change, for example improving the wastewater and storm water management, reducing water pollution, and increasing the application of circular economy principles. [IWAMA; BSR Water]

 

 

 

Agnieszka Ilola 

Head of Secretariat, Union of the Baltic Cities, Sustainable Cities Commission

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

© Dmitry Frank-Kamenetsky

I can name a large number of examples of project outputs directly integrated into the regional policy framework. The first one is the recommendation on sludge handling. It was largely based on the PURE project. What’s more, the technologies tested in the project PURE to treat wastewater are in regular use now.

 

 

 

Dmitry Frank-Kamenetsky

 Special Advisor to HELCOM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

© City of Turku

Thanks to Interreg projects, we have improved our public services for our citizens. Our water treatment facility has been involved in benchmarking water management processes and our water management processes have continuously been improving. Now, we have even better water quality and managed to keep the price of our water services at a moderate level.

Minna Arve

Mayor of Turku, Finland

#MadeWithInterreg solutions by topic

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