Ministers, Secretaries of state and Members of the European Parliament as well as high-level officials and experts from Bulgaria and Romania but also from the World Bank, FAO and the Black Sea Trade and Development Bank were convened in Brussels to lay down a common vision for the Black Sea. Participants expressed their priorities with regard to implementation of the EU Integrated Maritime Policy and fisheries cooperation in the Black Sea.
The event was divided into a morning high level meeting and an afternoon project-oriented discussion. The programme of the morning session featured four panels dedicated to fisheries cooperation, EU maritime policy, protection of the marine environment and sustainable growth of maritime activities in coastal areas. The afternoon session had a closer focus on ongoing and future cooperation in the fields of fisheries, maritime surveillance, marine and maritime research as well as maritime safety, security and ship pollution prevention.
Participants welcomed the initiative of Commissioner Damanaki and expressed a general interest for continued coordination between Romanian and Bulgarian activities as well as increased involvement of partner countries around the Black Sea.
