We had the joy to represent and introduce the Manure Standards project during the two-day event in Tallinn, Estonia. The main theme of the 9th Annual Forum was the Baltic Sea Region After 2020. It was a time of interesting discussions and sharing of ideas and experiences. One of the key ideas that came up again and again was that BSR plans and operates on global issues, but the real development and action takes place locally. That is why it is extremely important to talk to each other and to share ideas and experiences so that things would move in the right direction.
Manure Standards, presented by Elis Vollmer, was one of the projects invited to join in the ‘Dragon’s Den’ – pitch session organised by NutriTrade project and PA Nutri, inspired by reality TV show carrying the same name. The idea of the show is to get funding for your business from well known expert investors. In this adaptation each participant had 10 minutes to pitch the project and its importance, and each participant then received questions from appointed ‘Dragon’. The presentation about the Manure Standards project and its aims was well received and together with other flagship projects in the pitching session it came out that we inadvertently work together and support each other’s goals in improving the situation of the Baltic Sea.
Nevertheless, it is clear that such transnational projects play key role in improving the situation in the wider region and help also shape the local policies, coming up with best possible solutions. It is crucial to have the different stakeholders from businesses, research and policy makers levels discussing and working together.
The Forum was hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia together with the Baltic Development Forum in close cooperation with the European Commission, Ministry of Environment and other partners. About 770 participants from governments, international organisations, NGOs, universities, local and regional administrations and businesses came together to discuss developments and challenges in the Baltic Sea Region.
Read more about the Dragon’s Den pitch session: http://nutritradebaltic.eu/welcome-to-dragons-den-pitching-ideas-for-a-clean-baltic-sea-june-5/
Text: Elis Vollmer (EMU) & Laura Eskelinen (Luke)