Towards a sea unaffected by hazardous substances: The ‘One Baltic’ approach
HELCOM Stakeholder Conference 2025 is a one-day online event focusing on hazardous substances, taking place on 31 March 2025 at 10:00 to 16:00 EEST (Helsinki time). The event is moderated by Sandra Kropa.
Hazardous substances (chemical contaminants/pollution) frequently enter the Baltic Sea, placing immense pressure on its ecosystems. Over 100,000 chemicals are commercially available across Europe, most of which are rarely monitored in the marine environment, and many of which have unknown toxicity or transformation products. Although several legacy chemicals have been banned and EU regulations have improved the management framework, the ongoing release of many compounds remains a significant threat to the Baltic Sea ecosystem.
The conference will review the latest advancements in applying a new holistic approach to managing hazardous substances, to ensure the health of the Baltic Sea through the ‘One Baltic’ approach. Building on existing knowledge, it will identify ways a broad stakeholder community can support key actions toward the Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) goal ‘a Baltic Sea unaffected by hazardous substances’. The event is open to everyone, subject to pre-registration. Please note that registration for this event has now closed.
The conference will discuss the implementation of the BSAP actions on hazardous substances and the provisional actions of the Regional Action Plan on Hazardous Substances (RAP HAZ, to be finalised in 2025) to achieve HELCOM’s vision of a healthy Baltic Sea.
Programme
All times are in EEST
| 10:00 – 10:15 | Welcome Rüdiger Strempel, Executive Secretary, HELCOM Secretariat Johan Näslund, co-chair of the HELCOM Expert Group on Hazardous Substances |
| 10:15 – 10:45 | Session 1: Hazardous substances in the Baltic Sea region – where do we stand now? o What is the current status of hazardous substances in the Baltic Sea? (Owen Rowe, HELCOM Secretariat) o The ’One Baltic’ approach – applying a strategic approach for hazardous substances management in the Baltic Sea (Lotta Ruokanen and Vasileios Kouloumpos, HELCOM Secretariat) |
| 10:45-12:00 | Session 2: Latest developments – what are the pressing issues? o What substances have been identified as worrisome in the region, and why? (Vasileios Kouloumpos, HELCOM Secretariat) o The ripple effect: How recent PFAS regulations shape our view of Baltic Sea contamination (Markus Raudkivi, HELCOM Secretariat) o Pharmaceuticals in the Baltic Sea: Importance and risks (Daniel Malnes, HELCOM Secretariat) o Cocktail effects of hazardous substances: The need for a holistic regional view (Gastón Alurralde, HELCOM Secretariat) |
| 12:00-13:00 | Lunch break |
| 13:00-15:45 | Session 3: How can we jointly achieve a healthy Baltic Sea? o Actions for a healthy Baltic Sea: Towards a common goal (Susanna Kaasinen, HELCOM Secretariat) Pitch presentations: o Noxious liquid substances in cargo tank washing waters (Juulia Suikula, John Nurminen Foundation) o New requirements for municipal wastewater treatment (Ivan Ruubel, AS Tallinna Vesi) o Reducing air emissions from the energy sector – Grzegorz Grzybczyk, City of Krakow o Reducing emissions of pharmaceuticals (Jan Woelz, EFPIA) o Building a ‘One Baltic’ vision. Interactive stakeholder group discussions on the following topics: – Municipal wastewater treatment – Filling key knowledge gaps and uncertainties – Individuals and small businesses (good practice and awareness) – Offshore/maritime activities – Industrial products and processes – Pharmaceuticals |
| 15:45-16:00 | Wrap up and next steps Sandra Kropa, Moderator Lotta Ruokanen, Deputy Executive Secretary, HELCOM Secretariat |
Resources
Regional strategic approach: HELCOM’s management framework
for hazardous substances
HELCOM list of priority substances and substances of concern
Contact
Eeva Nyyssönen
Communication Secretary, HELCOM
eeva.nyyssonen@helcom.fi
Partner
The HELCOM Stakeholder Conference 2025 is organised with support from the project EMPEREST, co-financed by Interreg Baltic Sea Region to reduce the pollution to the Baltic Sea.
