News

From Brussels to the Member States – and on to new opportunities

In early November 2025, WaterMan’s second EU roundtable was scheduled, with a clear agenda in place. But events took a somewhat different turn – opening up unexpected new opportunities to promote water recycling in the Baltic Sea region.

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EGTC Euroregion Baltic meeting held in Kalmar

Kalmar (Sweden) became the meeting point for Euroregion Baltic on 17–18 March 2026, hosting the General Assembly of the EGTC Euroregion Baltic and the final meeting of the Euroregion Baltic Executive Board, marking the conclusion of the organisation’s previous structure. During the meetings, the Presidency of Euroregion Baltic was officially transferred from the Pomorskie Voivodeship […]

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Visit of ERB President Leszek Bonna to Swedish ERB Member Regions

A delegation from the Pomorskie Region, led by ERB President and Deputy Marshal of the Pomorskie Voivodeship – Leszek Bonna, paid a working visit to Sweden on 9–11 February as part of Pomorskie’s presidency in the Euroregion Baltic (ERB). The visit was of a courtesy nature and aimed at maintaining relations with partners and discussing […]

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Registration of EGTC Ltd Euroregion Baltic

On the 15th of January 2026 the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland decided to put EGTC Ltd Euroregion Baltic into the ministerial register. The decision was a culmination of over three years of efforts undertaken by Euroregion Baltic member organisations to acquire legal personality by the previously informal network. This is […]

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First General Assembly of the EGTC Euroregion Baltic

On 28 October 2025, the first General Assembly of the Euroregion Baltic in its new formal structure as a European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC) was held in Gdańsk. The meeting was chaired by Mr. Leszek Bonna, Deputy Marshal of the Pomorskie Voivodeship, and marked a significant step in strengthening cross-border cooperation across the Baltic […]

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Using Recycled Wastewater to Become an Energy Island

Bornholm has used a feasibility study to examine a question that could turn the entire Baltic Sea Region into a major player in renewable energy: Could recycled water be used to produce the hydrogen needed to store wind energy? The answer is yes – and it is significantly more cost-effective than using desalinated seawater. But the right conditions have to be in place.

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A Multi-Perspective Shift

In the Swedish municipality of Västervik, the initially simple idea of building rainwater retention ponds has evolved into the concept of “Mini Multi-dams”: making rainwater directly usable and creating many small basins wherever there are users for the water. This is because groundwater is at times scarce in this region, and such periods are becoming more frequent, while stormwater is not.

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A Fountain of Ideas

In Saldus in Latvia, the simple wish for a fountain in the town centre has grown into a holistic concept that combines flood protection and water recycling with an upgrade of public space. The end result is a feasibility study ready for implementation – not only in Saldus, but potentially in many other places across the Baltic Sea Region.

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A Pond Designed for the Future

At first, the retention basin in Gargždai was planned with a single purpose in mind: preventing floods. But long-term climate projections suggest that Lithuania, too, will not only face more intense rainfall, but also longer dry periods. So the planners decided to think a step ahead and ask how the stored water could be used – and in doing so, they turned the town into a national pioneer in water recycling.

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The Low-Hanging Fruit of a Rain Garden

In the past, the car park in front of the indoor swimming pool in Braniewo, Poland, was heavily sealed – an urban heat island in summer and, in spring, an exacerbating factor for flooding. Today, a rain garden stores water, cools the surroundings, and enhances the area. So simple, so important, so transferable across the entire Baltic Sea Region.

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The content of this website is the sole responsibility of the author and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union, the Managing Authority or the Joint Secretariat of the South Baltic Cross-border Cooperation Programme 2014-2020. The project UMBRELLA is partly financed from the Interreg South Baltic Programme 2014-2020 through the European Regional Development Fund.