2017 BLACK SEA STAKEHOLDER CONFERENCE ON BLUE ECONOMY, 15 September 2017, Batumi (Georgia)

Stakeholder conference on blue economy in the Black Sea

Connecting the region through marine and maritime cooperation

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THANK YOU! 

...for your interest in the 4th annual High-Level Black Sea Stakeholder Conference on blue economy in the Black Sea. Over the next days, the conference proceedings, such as the speakers' presentations, updated speaker's guide, the effective list of participants, video recordings of the working seession, will be published on this webpage. Summaries of the discussions in the working sessions will also be made available in English.

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Building on the success of the previous three events, in Bucharest (2014), Sofia (2015) and most recently in Odessa (2016), the conference has turned into a main forum for institutional and private stakeholders working on maritime affairs in the Black Sea to discuss common actions to:

• support blue growth,
• support integration,
• share innovative business practices,
• improve marine knowledge and enhance marine environment
• promote maritime careers,
• identify sources of funding for maritime projects and
• seek partners to fulfil them.

Technical sessions focused the debates on the above-mentioned themes and showcased the work carried out in the past year. The conference took stock of the implementation of the Bucharest declaration adopted in October 2016 on sustainable fisheries and discuss concrete actions to improve the sustainability of fishing resources, particularly with regard to scientific advice, sustainable small-scale fisheries, capacity building, and fight against IUU fishing. A group of eminent marine scientists, representing all coastal countries, met ahead of the conference as part of their work on a Blue Growth Initiative for Research and Innovation in the Black Sea. 

EU Commissioner Karmenu Vella announced the deployment of the "Facility to promote regional dialogue on blue growth and foster blue economy development in the Black Sea region". Apart from providing technical assistance to maritime administrations in the region and promoting integration at national and regional level, the Facility should pave the way for a common maritime agenda for the Black Sea. 

The conference offered good opportunities for networking. A small exhibition took place in the common spaces to offer inspiration and topics to debate. Among the exhibitors were: Georgian Ministry of Environment, MEDCOAST foundation, Anaklia Development Consortium, Bulgarian Institute of Oceanology, Batumi State Maritime Academy, Flora & Fauna International, Batumi Shota Rustavelli State University. 

In the margins of the conference, two memorandums of understanding/cooperation were signed:

1. "Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the field of environmental protection of the Black Sea and its catchment" between the ministries of environment of Georgia, represented by deputy minister Ms Ekaterina Grigalava, and Ukraine, represented by deputy minister Mr Vasyl Poluyko. The Memorandum aims to step up bilateral cooperation to implement two EU Directives: the Marine Strategy Framework Directive and the EU Water Framework Directive. The link to short video on the signature ceremony is available at https://youtu.be/7JxEbw5yRY4;

2. The Memorandum of Cooperation was signed between Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University and the Guria Region Governor Administration for the  development of blue economy and studies of the Kolkheti Lowland. Within the framework of the Memorandum, it is planned to carry out specific actions in the field of sustainable management and protection of environmental and natural resources using scientific and educational potential.

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Conference programme:  FinalAgenda_BSSConf_f.pdf (EN)

Effective list of participants:  List of participants.pdf

Speakers' guide:  Speakers' Guide - Final.pdf (EN)

Press release: https://ec.europa.eu/maritimeaffairs/content/building-maritime-strategy-black-sea_en (EN)

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Presentations and speeches (as delivered at the event)

Video recordings of all presenatations will be added in the next few days

Opening and welcome address

Dr Konstantin Megrelishvili, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Finance and Economy, Autonomous Republic of Ajara, Georgia

Sustainable blue growth: Leadership exchange

Mr Giorgi Cherkezishvili, Deputy Minister, Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia

Mr Karmenu Vella, EU Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (video message) -  SPEECH_KVella.pdf

Ms Ekaterine Grigalava, Deputy Minister, Environment and Natural Resources Protection of Georgia -  Speech_EGrigalava.pdf

Mr Vasyl Poluyko, Deputy Minister, Ecology and Natural Resources of Ukraine 

Mr Andriy Galushchak, State Secretary, Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine

Ambassador Michael B. Christides, Secretary General of the Organisation of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC)

Ms Maria Babukchieva, Head of River Basin Management Department, Ministry of environment and Water of Bulgaria

Ms Christiana Kalogirou, Regional Governor of North Aegean (Greece), President of the Balkan & Black Sea Commission of the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR) -  CPMR Map.pptx

Closing intervention: Mr Bernhard Friess, Director, Maritime Policy and Blue Economy, Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, European Commission

Panel 1: Increasing the competitiveness of the blue economy

Moderation: Mr Christos Economou, Head of Unit, Sea basin strategies, Maritime Regional Cooperation and Maritime Security, Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (MARE), European Commission

Dr Andrzej Cieslak, Consulant, Maritime Office in Gdynia, Poland -  A. Cieslak - Batumi short.ppt

Dr Ingela Isaksson, Project Manager, Baltic SCOPE, Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management -  170915_Sweden Isaksson_Final.pptx

Dr Andrei D. Lappo, General director, Scientific and Research Institute of Maritime Spatial Planning "Ermak Northwest", Russia

Ms Martina Maria Paola Rossi, Manager, Maritime Technology Cluster FVG, Italy

Mr Antonio Castillo, Head of Office in Chisinau, European Investment Bank -  Blue Economy - Batumi 15.09.2017-Antonio Castillo.pdf

Ms Laura Bobarnac, Deputy Head, Joint Managing Authority, Ministry of Regional Development of Romania -  BSB JOP_ Bobarnac Laura.ppt

Mr Nils Jansons, Deputy Head of Division for Eastern Partnership, regional cooperation  & OSCE, European External Action Service

Panel 2a: Save the sea

Moderation: Ms Sieglinde Gruber, Head of Unit, Marine Research Unit, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation (RTD), European Commission

Dr Adrian Stanica, Chairman of the Scientific Council of National Research and Development Institute for Marine Geology and Geoecology (GeoEcoMar), Romania -  Stanica_structure_questions_issues.ppt

Prof Snejana Momcheva, Director, Institute of Oceanology, Bulgarian Academy of Science (IO BAS) -  BS-Batmi-2017 -presentation_SMoncheva.pptx

Ms Sophie Benbow, Marine Programme Manager – Eurasia, Fauna & Flora International -  17 09 15 Save The Sea_Sophie Benbow.pptx

Ms Mariam Makarova, Head of Water Division, Integrated Managemet Department, Ministry of Environment and Narural Resources Protection of Georgia -  Georgia_IMP - Makarova.ppt

Ms Olesya Petrovych, Chief specialist, Department of Econet and Protected Areas, Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Ukraine

Dr Jaroslav Slobodnik, Team Leader, EU/UNDP project "Improving Environmental Monitoring in the Black Sea" (EMBLAS-II) -  Panel_2a_EMBLAS_Jaroslav Slobodnik.pptx

Mr Gilles Lericolais, Director, Management of European and International affairs, French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea (IFREMER) -  Lericolais-SavetheSea-Batumi2017.pptx

Panel 2b: Fish well

Moderation: Mr Stelios Mitolidis, Deputy Head of Unit, Fisheries Management Mediterranean and Black Sea, Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (MARE), European Commission

Prof Bayram Ozturk, Director – Turkish Marine Research Foundation/ Faculty of Fisheries, Istanbul University -  Ozturk_Georgia Final.ppt

Ms Irina Lomashvili, Chief Specialist, Biodiversity and Forestry policy Department, Ministry of Environment Protection and Natural Resources of Georgia

Ms Maia Chkhobadze, Head of the Biodiversity Control Service, Environmental Supervising Department, Ministry of Environment Protection and Natural Resources of Georgia -  Batumi Conference-2017 - Maia Chkhobadze.ppt

Mr Miguel Bernal, Fishery Resources Officer, Secretariat of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) -  GFCM_BlackSeaBlueGrowthStakeholders-Miguel Bernal.pptx

Mr Pascal Savouret, Executive Director, European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA) -  Savouret 2B-Black Sea_Batum_15092017_RS (00000002).ppt

Ms Elena Cardas, European Affairs Advisor, Association for Sustainable Development ”Prut – Dunăre” Galati – FLAG Galati (Romania) -  RO TOPIC - FLAG GALATI - CARDAS.pptx

Panel 3a: Smart maritime infrastructures 

Moderation: Capt. Mamuka Akhaladze, Director, Maritime Transport Agency of Georgia

Dr Laura Alexandrov, Senior Researcher, National Institute for Marine Research and Development "Grigore Antipa", Romania -  MSP_BLUE GROWTh_ L.ALEXANDROV_NIMRDA_RO pptx.pptx

Mr Levan Akhvlediani, Chief Executive Officer, Anaklia Development Consortium (ADC), Georgia -  Anaklia - Connecting Asia and Europe via Georgia - Eng-1.pdf

Ms Irina Zapatrina, Chairman of the Board, Ukrainian Public-Private Partnership Development Support Center -  Zapatrina_Batumi_2017.pptx

Mr Georgios Christofi, Head of Environment & Capacity Building Unit. European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) -  Blue Economy in the Black Sea - EMSA_George Christophi-1.pdf

Panel 3b: Towards improved environmental monitoring of the Black Sea

Moderation: Ms Tamar Bagratia, Head of National Environmental Agency, Georgia

Ms Ekaterine Grigalava, Deputy Minister of Environment and Natural Resources Protection of Georgia

Mr Vasyl Poluyko, Deputy Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of Ukraine

Dr Jaroslav Slobodnik, Team Leader of the EMBLAS II project -  Panel_3b_EMBLAS_Jaroslav Slobodnik.pptx

Mrs Marine Arabidze, ‎Head of the Department of Environmental Pollution Monitoring, National Environmental Agency, Georgia

Dr Viktor Komorin, Director of Ukrainian Scientific Research Institute of Ecology of the Sea, Ukraine -  Komorin_09_2017.pptx

Dr Eugen Dykyi, Deputy Director of Ukrainian Scientific Research Institute of Ecology of the Sea, Ukraine

Ms Olena Marushevska, PR expert of the EMBLAS II project -  Olena M.pdf

Way forward & Closing remarks

Mr Bernhard Friess, Director, Maritime Policy and Blue Economy, Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, European Commission 

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Venue: Hotel Radisson Blu Batumi (1 Ninoshvili Street 6000 Batumi Georgia) 

Location: Batumi, Georgia
Date: 15/09/2017

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Press corner: What is integrated maritime policy? IMP_background_press_EN.doc ;  IMP_background_press_UA.DOC IMP_background_press_RU.DOC ;  IMP_background_press_RO.docx;  IMP_background_press_BG.docx

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Actions in the Black Sea: 

Funded by the European maritime and fisheries fund (EMFF)

https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/maritimeforum/en/frontpage/98 (scroll down the page to find projects)

https://ec.europa.eu/easme/en/emff-projects (in the search bar, please type "Black Sea")

Funded by the Black Sea Cross-border cooperation programme (Black Sea CBC)

http://blacksea-cbc.net/projects/our-projects/

European Commission, DG MARE - Black Sea

https://ec.europa.eu/maritimeaffairs/policy/sea_basins/black_sea_en

Black and Caspian Sea project

http://www.emsa.europa.eu/implementation-tasks/training-a-cooperation/traceca-iii.html

European Commission/UNDP, EMBLAS - Improving Environmental Monitoring in the Black Sea 

http://emblasproject.org/

EU Horizon 2020's SME Instrument (Georgia, Turkey, Ukraine, Republic of Moldova associated)

https://ec.europa.eu/easme/en/horizons-2020-sme-instrument

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For questions, please contact: BlackSeaBlueEconomy@gopacom.eu

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