We made the first step towards blue economy development in the Black Sea region. This was announced by the Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications, Ivaylo Moskovski after the adoption of the Ministerial Declaration on Cooperation in the Black Sea Region. The document was endorsed by the Black Sea States at the Ministerial Meeting in Burgas in the presence of Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Carmenu Vella.
"Signing this declaration, the Black Sea countries are committed to implement a common approach and synergy between the projects that we are implementing in the field of ecology, economy and tourism," said Minister Moskovski. He pointed out that the document states the will of the countries in the region to implement the projects in a coordinated way in order to achieve greater benefit and growth. In his words, the declaration also recommends seeking funding from different sources towards the projects’ implementation.
"The Black Sea region has a huge potential to be developed in the future," Ivaylo Moskovski commented. The minister added that each state is laying down the necessary measures in its legislation to ensure the blue economy development in the Black Sea.
The participants in the event outlined several areas for cooperation that will be basis for achieving high economic growth - transport connectivity, environmental protection, research and innovation in the Black Sea Basin.
„The blue economy growth requires effective coordination between the policies in the different sectors related to the sea," said Minister Moskovski at the opening of "European Maritime Day - 2018" in Burgas. One of the priorities of the Bulgarian Presidency is an integrated macro-regional approach in the Black Sea region, which includes improving its transport, communication and infrastructure connectivity, the minister said.
Bulgaria is the first Black Sea country to host a joint initiative between the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council of Europe. Founded 10 years ago, this is a leading annual event in the sector, for the blue economy development, maritime tourism and environmental protection. The European Maritime Day is part of the program of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU and over 1200 experts from all over the world participated in the event.
