Final conference “The Future of Water in the Changing World”

Welcome to the international conference “The Future of Water in the Changing World: Innovative solutions against PFAS and micropollutants”, which will take place in Berlin, Germany, on 19-20 November 2025! This key Baltic Sea Region event is dedicated to exploring innovative solutions for addressing organic micropollutants, including pharmaceuticals and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), in the context of the evolving regulatory landscape in Europe.

🗣️ "Hazardous substances are causing even more pressure on the Baltic Sea’s ecosystems compared to eutrophication that was traditionally considered as the most severe threat. Recently we have developed regional approaches to address that with e.g. defining new HELCOM priority substances, and drafting a regional action plan. EMPEREST has been instrumental in supporting this work in relation to PFAS substances and for micropollutants found in urban wastewaters."
— Lotta Ruokanen, Professional Secretary and Deputy Executive Secretary at the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission (HELCOM)

💡 The conference will bring together European, national and local policymakers and experts to discuss:

• Linking new EU policies with their implementation in the Baltic Sea region
• Latest data and recommendations for monitoring PFAS in the aquatic environment
• Risk-based assessments of the state of play and useful frameworks and tools for this
• Tested innovative wastewater treatment technologies to remove organic micropollutants
• Capacity building tools and upstream measures to reduce hazardous substances
• Opportunities for cross-sectoral partnerships to enhance water quality and sustainability

The impressive lineup of high-level speakers features the European Commission, BSR ministries and environmental agencies, local authorities pioneering the PFAS awareness field, forerunning water utilities that tested technologies for micropollutant removal, and leading researchers in the field, as well as the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, HELCOM Secretariat, and UBC Sustainable Cities Commission.

Meet the speakers of the conference

The registration is closed, and we look forward to meeting over 160 participants in Berlin!

Programme documents for general public

• Programme of the conference (ver. 29.10)
• Practicalities

Programme documents for EMPEREST project partners

• Full programme of the conference incl. internal EMPEREST meetings (ver. 29.10)
• Practicalities

Exhibition stands

The session "Networking, exhibition, and the market of solutions" (19 November 15.15-16.45) will be a great opportunity to establish new cooperations, get to know about other European projects, and enjoy interactive activities and games.

You will meet the stakeholders driving the transnational cooperation: EUSBSR PA Hazards & Baltic Sea PFAS network, projects EMPEREST, APRIORA, ReNutriWater, LIMIT, NurseCoast-II, Baltic PFAS Resolve, and the Berlin Centre of Competence for Water (KWB) with WaterMan, DigiWave, Flextreat projects.

And exchange with providers of technical solutions for PFAS and micropollutants: Mecana (Switzerland), Porelio (Germany), Probiko-Aqua (Poland), Solar Decont (Czech Republic), Sulzer (Germany) companies.

Participation in the conference is free, but all participants are expected to arrange own travels and accommodations. Please kindly note that the organisers do not provide the support with visa invitations.

This conference is co-organised by the teams of two transnational projects – EMPEREST and APRIORA, funded by Interreg BSR Programme, so it will offer a unique platform for knowledge exchange and collaboration.

We look forward to your participation in this important event!