Stockholm, 19 September 2019
Macro-regional workshop on PHARMACEUTICALS IN THE ENVIRONMENT (PIE)– Monitoring, consumption, technologies and policies.
Pharmaceutical residues in the Baltic Sea are causing concern as the full impact for the marine environment is still unknown. The main pathway of human consumed pharmaceuticals to the marine environment is via direct discharges of effluents from municipal wastewater treatment plants (MWWTPs) in coastal areas as well as via rivers carrying effluents from inland MWWTPs.
The objective of this workshop was to jointly identify common challenges and solutions for pharmaceuticals and the environment in the Baltic Sea region, with a focus on pharmaceuticals in Waste Water Treatment Plants (WWTP) systems.
This included
-
the need and availability of analysis and monitoring methods
-
Advanced WWTP technologies
-
Economic and policy considerations for technology choice
Stockholm, 15 – 16 April 2019
TAIEX-EIR and Baltic Sea Region-Workshop on circular and non-toxic reuse of phosphorus from sewage sludge.
The core challenge of sewage sludge and phosphorous is well-known. While phosphorous is a finite resource that can be recycled from sewage sludge, the practice of spreading of sewage sludge on land recirculates not only phosphorous, but also other elements – including those that are hazardous to the environment and/ or human health – back into the environment. Solutions to the sludge-phosphorus dilemma are contentious and invariably costly, politically or socially contested, and attract a wide range of competing interests from farmers, food industries and consumers of their products, to the waste industry and wastewater treatment plants.
Technology and policy are important to achieving acceptable solutions and were the focus of this workshop.
The workshop had a unique and overarching objective to inform a Swedish government Inquiry (more below) on a sewage sludge ban and concomitant phosphorous recycling requirement. This was the first time a TAIEX PEER 2 PEER workshop was designed to contribute to an ongoing national inquiry.
Besides Sweden, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Czech Republic as well as the European Sustainable Phosphorus platform contributed to the workshop.
This workshop was followed by a seminar at the 10th EUSBSR Annual Forum in Gdansk and a seminar at ‘Baltic Sea Days’, an integrated part of ‘Swedish Political week’ (Almedalen) in Visby, Gotland, 4th July 2019.
Berlin, 27 – 28 March 2017
HELCOM expert workshop on nutrient recycling in the Baltic Sea countries
The expert workshop will help to enhance the recycling of nutrient contained in wastewater sludge and manure in closed nutrient systems while preventing the spreading of hazardous substances, as well as identify common challenges in promotion of nutrients recycling in the region and possible next steps in a joint effort of the HELCOM countries to enhance nutrient recycling.
The workshop is organized by Julius Kühn-Institute and HELCOM in cooperation with the European Union Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region Policy Areas Bioeconomy, Hazards and Nutri.
As this is an expert workshop, participation will be possible on invitation only.
Vilnius, 8th December 2016
National Dialogue seminar - Lithuania
The Environmental Protection Agency Lithuania in close cooperation with the Coordinator of the Policy Area (PAC) Hazards, Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, arranged a stakeholder and dialogue seminar aiming at introducing the PA activities and Flagships within the framework of the EU Strategy of the Baltic Sea Region to Lithuanian national stakeholders.
The seminar aimed at exchanging about Lithuania’s interests and priorities in the area of hazardous substances in the environment and discussed how to:
- Bring together and create synergies between initiatives and actors from different sectors and levels of governance
- Promote cooperation between stakeholders in the Baltic Sea Region
The dialogue seminar is an integrated part of the PA Hazards ‘Roadshow’ series that will be continued in other BSR countries throughout 2017.
Presentations and speakers
Presentations of PA Hazards flagships with Lithuanian partners
Stockholm 2016
Political seminar: Closed loops for clear waters - Innovative sludge management solutions for a toxin free.
The seminar presented and discussed solutions for sustainable sludge management, aiming to turn todays waste into cleaner products, helping to minimize emissions of toxic compounds to the aquatic environment while achieving recycling of nutrients in a truly circular system: What techniques are available today? How to foster and up-scale innovation? What can and should policy do?
Date: 9th November 2016, 15:00 – 15:50
Place: Münchenbryggeriet, Stockholm, Sweden
Speakers & presentations
Moderator: Dmitry Frank-Kamenetsky, Professional Secretary, Helcom Secretariat
Presentations and Speakers:
- Sludge management solutions in the Baltic States
Mr Taavo Tenno, University of Tartu, Estonia
- Sludge Management in Finland – aims and new initiatives
- Mr Ari Kangas, Ministerial adviser, wastewater & sewage sludge expert, Ministry for the Environment Finland
- Amendment of the German sludge management act
- Dr. Claus-Gerhard Bergs, Head of Division Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety, Germany
- From prototype to reality – how to up-scale innovation in sludge handling,
Anders Kihl, Head of research, Ragn-Sells, Sweden
Discussions will be continued at a Helcom ‘Nutrient recycling workshop’ 23 – 24 January 2017 in Berlin, Germany as a cooperation between Areas Nutri, Hazard and Bioeconomy of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region
Cooperation partners
Further information
Copenhagen 2015:
Pharmaceuticals in the Baltic Sea environment
Pharmaceutical residues in the Baltic Sea are causing concern as the full impact for the marine environment is still unknown. Human and livestock excretion of drugs and metabolites following consumption, as well as disposal of unused pharmaceuticals, are pathways to the environment. Many pharmaceutical substances cannot be effectively removed by conventional waste water treatment.
The topic of hazardous substances is covered as main area in the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea region, EUSBSR. Under the Policy Area (PA) ‘Hazards’ this year’s activities are focusing on the topic of Pharmaceuticals in the Baltic Sea environment. Therein the PA is aiming at creating a dynamic network of relevant multi-sector, multilevel stakeholders from across the Baltic Sea region as well as facilitating cooperation, capacity building and policy development in the field.
The PA partnered with Baltic Development Forum and Helcom for this regional stakeholder event, which sought to stimulate innovative project ideas, solutions and approaches on how to prevent pharmaceutical substances to reach the Baltic Sea environment. The conference was held in Copenhagen 15 December 2015. It brought together 60 stakeholders for implementation with policy makers and funding instruments for knowledge exchange and policy discussions.
PA ‘Hazards’ was actively looking for innovative project proposals on applied technical and management solutions on how to prevent pharmaceutical substances to reach the Baltic environment and cause negative effects, including technical and management solutions.
At the conference the status report on Pharmaceuticals in the Baltic Sea environment was presented.
Policy representatives from Germany, Sweden and HELCOM presented their views on recent policy developments in the field and next steps needed from a national and pan-Baltic perspective.
In an interactive project development workshop participants elaborated six project proposals that will be further developed into potential flagships, highly visible transnational good quality projects, to be implemented in the Baltic Region within the coming years.
Cooperation partners
Vilnius 2013:
Monitoring of hazardous substances in the Baltic Sea – regional harmonization and implementation of the MSFD and BSAP
This workshop was a joint exercise between EUSBSR Priority Area Hazards and HELCOM. The aim was to share ideas, knowledge and experience among authorities and experts responsible for implementing hazardous substances monitoring in the Baltic Sea Region according to the MSFD and BSAP. The workshop was held back-to-back with the EUSBSR Annual Forum in Vilnius and had 36 participants from 7 Baltic Sea countries and HELCOM.
Riga 2012:
lnterlink of EU legal frame to successfully manage hazardous substances and new developments at EU legislation
Based on the discussions in May another workshop was organized in November, together with Baltic Environmental Forum, on the links between different EU legislations on waste, water and marine directives and the classification of dangerous substances that is relevant for work with hazardous substances. The workshop was addressed to officials in the Baltic States and Poland with more than 65 attendees. A policy brief was produced from the workshop and translated into four Baltic languages.
Policy brief – summary of workshop translated into four baltic languages
An evaluation of the workshop one year later, based on interviews with 86% of the participants, showed that the workshop considered to have been very useful in their daily work (Fig 1. And 2.).
Report: Evaluation of the seminar "lnterlink of EU legal frame to successfully manage hazardous substances and new developments at EU legislation", taking place on 28-29.11.2012. in Riga, Latvia.
Warszawa 2012:
Actions needed to reduce the use and impact of hazardous substances in the Baltic Sea region
The purpose of the workshop in May was to discuss necessary and desirable activities within PA Hazards. The meeting was co-organized by the Steering Group and HELCOM LAND. Participants were Polish stakeholders in the public sector, a total of 45 participants. The result was that the work of the PA Hazards should focus on two areas: "Capacity building" and "Research for macro-regional needs."
<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->HELCOM <!--[if !supportAnnotations]-->[NM1]<!--[endif]--> work on sewage sludge handling
<!--[if !supportAnnotations]-->
<!--[endif]-->
<!--[if !supportAnnotations]-->
<!--[endif]--><!--[if !supportAnnotations]-->
<!--[endif]-->
<!--[if !supportAnnotations]-->
<!--[endif]-->