On 21 May, ministers from seven Black Sea countries – Bulgaria, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine – will meet in the Romanian capital of Bucharest for a ministerial meeting to endorse the Common Maritime Agenda for the Black Sea, IPN reports, quoting a press release of the EU.

With this, the Black Sea region joins the rest of the sea basins bordering the EU in setting a basin-wide initiative for more – and more sustainable – economic growth. Countries will pursue three goals: healthy marine and coastal ecosystems, a competitive, innovative and sustainable blue economy, and investment in the blue economy.

The meeting will be the result of a process initiated and backed by the European Commission. Between 2015 and 2018 alone, the EU has supported the region’s blue economy with more than €13 million. Following the endorsement, the countries are invited to set up a list of projects that may qualify for further public or private investment.

These projects may include – but are not limited to – fisheries and aquaculture research, marine litter harvesting and recycling, tourism, awareness raising on marine environmental issues, improving the economic viability of the (small-scale) fisheries sector, and introducing innovative marine technologies and IT monitoring tools for fishery vessels. One of them is already implemented in the Republic of Moldova. This is the EU – funded “Waste Free Rivers for a Clean Black Sea” ecological initiative implemented in Ungheni. It is one of our country’s connections to the common effort to extend cooperation between the countries of the Black Sea Bain.