The year 2021 has been an exciting for PA Hazards as we have welcomed one new flagship project and two new flagship leaders into our organization, writes PA Coordinator Eva Iveroth.

The European Council adopted a ban on single-use plastics on 21 May 2019. The directive introduces new restrictions on certain single-use plastic products such as plates, cutlery, straws, balloon sticks and cotton buds that will be banned by 2021. What does the ban mean for the EUSBSR?

Pharmaceutical residues create an environmental problem in the Baltic Sea. Cooperation is essential to reduce emissions, but how to bring stakeholders and projects together? An EUSBSR flagship Baltic Sea Pharma platform offers one solution. The platform and PA Hazard's work to reduce pharmaceuticals have been acknowledged by HELCOM Ministerial Declaration in March 2018. Policy Area Hazards coordinators Jenny Hedman and Maxi Nachtigall were interviewed by the Communication Point of the EUSBSR.

The BLASTIC project, an EUSBSR Flagship under Policy Area Hazards, aims to reduce plastic waste and, thereby, the inflow of hazardous substances into the Baltic Sea by mapping and monitoring the amounts of litter in the aquatic environment.

In November 2017, five new EUSBSR Flagships were adopted by the National Coordinators of the Strategy. The actions of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region are implemented by means of Flagships. Flagships demonstrate the progress of the Strategy, and may serve as pilot examples for desired action in a given field.

We asked the newly approved Flagships what the status means to them.