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

DESIRE

Development of Sustainable (adaptive) peatland management by Restoration and paludiculture for nutrient retention and other ecosystem services in the Neman river catchment
DESIRE helped ministries, agricultural advisories, environmental NGOs and farmers reactivate drained wetlands and use them in paludiculture, thus reducing nutrient leaking into the Baltic Sea.
Read more about the project

VETMED

Veterinary medication and its impact on antimicrobial resistance in the environment
Antimicrobial resistance is a global challenge. Both the World Health Organisation and the European Union state that increasing knowledge is key to facing this challenge. Antibiotics in animal husbandry are a known source of antimicrobial resistance, but the fate of active pharmaceutical ingredients, and the generation and spread of antimicrobial resistance from wider veterinary sources is unclear. VETMED aims to quantify the environmental occurrence of veterinary active pharmaceutical ingredients, improving the understanding of the significance of these medications as a source of active pharmaceutical ingredients and antimicrobial resistance.
Read more about the project

WATERDRIVE

Water driven rural development in the Baltic Sea Region
The WATERDRIVE project helped local municipalities, farmers and advisories manage water in agricultural landscapes and suggested ways forward to national authorities on how to pursue a strategic water governance vision.
Read more about the project

Circular FoodShift

Circular FoodShift in the Baltic countries
The project Circular FoodShift helps authorities in rural and peri-urban municipalities transform food models with less food waste at schools and gastronomy and new businesses upcycling food and food waste.
Read more about the project

CITYAM

CITYAM - Preparing cities for sustainable Urban Air Mobility
The project CITYAM equips cities with tools to improve airspace management in dealing with emerging urban air mobility and scaling drone operations.
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

3I solutions for PS

Enabling better public services in BSR with immersive, intelligent and innovative solutions
The project 3I solutions for PS helps public authorities make good use of digital technologies, e.g. augmented or extended reality, to deliver public services more efficiently.
Read more about the project

IWAMA

Interactive WAter MAnagement
The Interreg project IWAMA equipped waste water managers with new audit tools and a durable platform for life-long learning and exchange so that they can better protect our environment, in particular by optimising the energy use and sludge management of waste water treatment plants.
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

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

UrbCulturalPlanning

UrbCulturalPlanning
The project UrbCulturalPlanning addressed social and urban development by involving citizens in the cultural planning.
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

GlassCircle

Exploring full cycle circular economy for glass fiber industry
The project GlassCircle helps glass fiber manufacturers reduce the environmental impacts of glass fiber waste by bringing it back into use.
Read more about the project

SmartAging

Nordic Vitality Environments/​ Smart ageing with Nordic wellness indoors​
This project SmartAging empowers care providers and public authorities to enhance the well-being and daily lives of seniors by integrating smart home solutions and tailored training.
Read more about the project

StartSun

Start-ups for Solar Energy Communities
To advance local energy transition, the StartSun project establishes five energy communities of different types, and compiles start-up packages for authorities, enterprises and other actors, with step-by-step guidance to follow in creating their own energy communities.
Read more about the project

For Better Health

Practical implementation of Health in All Policies in the municipalities for better health for all in the Baltic Sea Region
Today, life-style related diseases account for 80% of premature deaths in the Baltic Sea region. In order to overcome resource limitations at municipalities, the project strives to improve the capacities of public health managers and other responsible public bodies, together with the inhabitants, to better run and coordinate activities in preventive medicine and promotion of healthy lifestyle.
Read more about the project

NSB CoRe

North Sea Baltic Connector of Regions
In the project NSB Core, spatial and transport planners and other experts representing local, regional and national authorities from six countries developed a joint vision on how to ensure better integrated and accessible eastern and southern parts of the Baltic Sea region.
Read more about the project

HAZBREF

Hazardous industrial chemicals in the IED BREFs
The Interreg project HAZBREF provided valuable recommendations and paved the way for legally binding commitments on the use and risk management of hazardous substances and chemicals to prevent their release into the Baltic Sea.
Read more about the project

BSRCulturalPlanning

Cultural planning as a BSR tool for co-creating collaboration and innovation among citizens and between citizens and authorities, on inclusive, sustainable development of city public space.
Social inclusion is a growing challenge for the Baltic Sea region. A better use of public space in cities is a possible solution to closer connect the people. BSRCulturalPlanning intends to adopt cultural planning as a method to stimulate interactions among varied groups of citizens. The project aims to bring together departments in municipalities responsible for cultural and urban departments as well as experts in cultural planning, and work together on better use of public spaces.
Read more about the project

RegenT

Integrating Regenerative Practices in Nature and Cultural Tourism​
RegenT project platform develops a regenerative tourism hub, offering training and policy recommendations for public authorities, destination management organisations (DMOs), NGOs, and business support organisations to make revitalisation and sustainable tourism a guiding strategy across the region. RegenT consolidates outcomes from 7 EU projects.
Read more about the project

NHCRE

Network for Hydrogen in Combination with Renewable Energysources
In response to challenges related to shifting from fossil fuel to renewable energy economy, the project sets up a multinational, multilevel and cross-sectoral partnership and a “knowledge hub” to jointly streamline cutting points between hydrogen and other sustainable and renewable energy sources, such as biomass, solar, wind and water. In this way, the project strives for a zero-emission energy and transport structure.
Read more about the project

BlueBioSites

Data, information and tools to identify and monitor optimal sites for the Blue Bioeconomy in the Baltic Sea Region
BlueBioSites aims to develop a ‘large scale’ project with the objective to create a Baltic Sea wide effective system for the identification and monitoring of Blue Bioeconomy sites covering mussel and macroalgae cultivations, fish aquaculture, microalgae and reed harvesting sites. The project focuses on data and information necessary to identify new sites, as well as the monitoring of existing sites, and shall provide recommendations on most effective technology means to generate such data.
Read more about the project

CoCoBLog

Competent and Competitive Baltic Logistics
The project addresses a gap between the needed and existing logistics skills/competences and, consequently, strengthens the institutional capacities of different companies executing logistics duties within the Baltic Sea region. The project works towards upgrading logistics skills and competences of people involved in logistics and, in this way, improving an overall logistics performance in the Baltic Sea region and reducing differences between the different countries.
Read more about the project

BSUIN

Baltic Sea Underground Innovation Network
The Interreg project BSUIN tackled underutilisation of the underground laboratories serving as a business development and innovation platform for representatives of business, academia and regional development agencies across the Baltic Sea region.
Read more about the project

STM BALT SAFE

Safety of Navigation in the Baltic Sea by Sea Traffic Management
The STM BALT SAFE project introduced new digital services onboard and onshore that improve the speed and accuracy of ship-shore information exchange.
Read more about the project

BIC

Biomarker Commercialization
The Interreg project BIC made the commercialization of biomarkers more manageable with respect to regulatory, clinical and business aspects, and paved the way for increased market uptake of biomarkers used in diagnostics and treatment.
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

PlanHeat

Local Heat Planning - Achieving the Heat Transition in BSR Municipalities
The project PlanHeat brings together municipalities and expert organisations from seven countries to help cities develop local heat plans and meet tightening standards for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Read more about the project

ECOLABNET

Network of Service Providers for Eco-innovations in Manufacturing SMEs
The project ECOLABNET helped manufacturing small and medium-sized enterprises in bio-based materials, 3D printing, and other business areas to develop eco-innovations.
Read more about the project

RenoWave

One-Stop-Shop extended model to increase the multi-apartment building stock renovation in the BSR
The project RenoWave establishes cooperation among homeowners, construction companies, energy agencies and public authorities to initiate more energy-efficiency renovations in multi-apartment buildings.
Read more about the project

CW Pharma 2

Clear waters from pharmaceuticals extension stage
CWPharma2 conducted checks and run feasibility studies and pilots to test more effective methods for removing pharmaceuticals from wastewater.

Read more about the project

Reg4Future

Regions 4 Future: enabling policy mix tool and training to expand 5G&AI for regional single market development.
Reg4Future is a 5G and AI application-oriented consortium focusing on creating a regional policy-mix tool and mission-oriented networks for the successful integration of disruptive technologies in the regions. The Consortium plans to establish stakeholder alliances consisting of local government officials, universities, business associations. The key method in this will be exchanging the best practices and experiences concerning the best policy instrument to be shared to improve governance in all regions.
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

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

Agriculture

Attractive cities for people

Cleaner waters

Digitalisation

Energy efficiency

Fewer hazards

Health &
well-being

Healthy & sustainable
food

Inclusive 
communities

Renewable energy

Safety at sea

Strong & competitive
companies

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