Europe Forum in Turku featuring an EMPEREST session

The eighth Europe Forum will celebrate the 30th anniversary of Finland’s EU membership. Themes of the 2025 Europe Forum include changes in the security policy environment, European competitiveness and the EU’s multiannual financial framework. The theme of the Europe Forum for 2025 is “The world is changing – how will Europe respond?”.

During the Forum, the EMPEREST project will launch a dialogue on "How to minimize the harm of environmental toxins to nature, people and the circular economy?" The project session will be on 27 August at 12.30-13.15, organised in Finnish with simultaneous English interpretation. (information on the event page)

This panel will focus on solutions, for both prevention and decontamination. It will look at legislation, the role of municipalities as service providers and public procurers, the power of conscious consumers to demand safer products, and the potential of water protection; treating waste water in treatment plants is one doorway to contain the spread of chemicals. Controlling environmental toxins is a prerequisite for an efficient circular economy. At the same time, environmental toxics management often leads to greenwashing, which further misleads the consumer.

Panelists:

• Laura Walin, Head of Unit, Environmental Protection and Control, City of Helsinki
• Lotta Ruokanen, Deputy Executive Secretary, HELCOM - Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission
• Petri Tuominen, Managing Director, Jyväskylän Seudun Puhdistamo Oy
• Pauli Aalto-Setälä, Member of Parliament (NCP)

Moderator: Piia Leskinen, Researcher, Turku University of Applied Sciences

The session is organised with UBC Sustainable Cities Commission, HELCOM, Turku University of Applied Sciences, NonHazCity3 project.