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, ministries and environmental agencies from Germany, 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 EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, HELCOM Secretariat, and UBC Sustainable Cities Commission.

Meet the speakers of the conference (PDF profiles of speakers)

Programme documents for general public

• Programme of the conference (ver. 8.10)
• Registration to the conference (deadline: 24 October 2025). Please note that the organisers will send a separate confirmation once your registration is approved.
• Practicalities

Programme documents for EMPEREST project partners

• Full programme of the conference incl. internal EMPEREST meetings (ver. 8.10)
• Registration to the conference (deadline: 24 October 2025)
• Practicalities

The call for stands is open!

We are happy to announce an important part of the conference – the session "Networking, exhibition, and the market of solutions" (19 November 15.15-16.45). This will be a great opportunity to establish new cooperations, get to know about other European projects, and enjoy interactive activities and games!

🔔 We warmly welcome to the exhibition interested international projects addressing the reduction of hazardous substances from the water cycle. You can express your interest of having a stand when filling the registration form, or contact EMPEREST coordinator Lotta Lehti (lotta.lehti@turku.fi) with any related questions.

The table stand will have space for project publications, promotional materials, or prototypes/samples of products produced within the project. You can also set up a project roll-up.

UPD: We still have a couple of stands available - make sure that your project is represented at this prominent conference expecting over 150 participants!

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!