The European Commission is organising the 2nd edition of the Our Baltic Conference in Palanga (Lithuania) on 29 September 2023. This high-level event will bring together ministers from the 8 EU countries surrounding the Baltic Sea (Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Finland and Sweden).

The Baltic Sea is severely affected by general threats like biodiversity loss and climate change, and by specific local pressures such as eutrophication, overfishing, elevated levels of contaminants such as pharmaceuticals, and litter, in particular plastic waste. Concerned by the poor state of the Sea and its marine environment, EU Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevičius is organising a high-level conference on possible actions to redress the situation.

Our Baltic will gather ministers, decision makers, scientists and stakeholders from NGOs and industry in the region and across the EU to discuss the challenges faced by this sea. In line with the EU Biodiversity Strategy and the Zero Pollution ambition announced in the European Green Deal, the Conference will focus on how to reduce the pressure from fisheries and the input of pollutants, litter and contaminants, including pharmaceuticals. It aims to boost commitment to the existing goals for the area in EU legislation, and opens the way to further commitments and new actions to tackle these problems.

The main topics will be:

• Environment & fisheries - progress made on the actions announced in the Ministerial Declaration of the 2020 Our Baltic conference
• Economic activities linked to the sea ('blue economy') - finding ways to allow activities at sea to flourish (e.g. offshore renewable energy, aquaculture, bioeconomy, etc.)
• Unexploded munitions