Black Sea Stakeholders united for the Common Maritime Agenda

On 28 October the 3^rd edition of the Black Sea Stakeholders Conference provided a forum for the blue economy community of this sea-basin in the emblematic Cazino of Constanța (Romania). The main topics aligned with the priorities set by the Ukrainian National Coordinator in the 2025 Work Programme and the three goals of the Common Maritime Agenda for the Black Sea:

• healthy marine and coastal ecosystems
• a competitive, innovative and sustainable blue economy for the Black Sea
• fostering investment in the Black Sea blue economy

The Conference was organised by the Sea Basin Assistance Mechanism for the Black Sea, funded by the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF).

This forum inspired stakeholders, by encouraging them to share ideas and create partnerships that will lead to successful project ideas, to discuss good practices within and outside the region, share information and identify funding opportunities. The Conference was followed by an internal Steering Committee meeting and two Technical Group meetings on the second day.

Main challenges ahead for the Black Sea region

Sergii Taran, representative of the Ukrainian Ministry of Education and Science, opened the conference by thanking Romania for hosting the conference under the Ukraine coordination and regretting not being able to host due to the war and security issues.

Iglika YAKOVA, Deputy Head of Unit in the European Commission (DG MARE), presented how the EU Ocean Pact acknowledges the critical importance of the Black Sea region, especially given the geopolitical context following Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. The EU Black Sea strategy, adopted in May 2025, is a complementary framework that feeds into the broader strategy the EU Ocean Pact seeks to create.

The conference brought together around 200 stakeholders from the academia and research institutions, the private sector, government and public administration at local, national, regional and EU levels, as well as international organisations (including the World Bank).

The main challenges identified by stakeholders were:

1. Fragmented regional cooperation: Despite shared goals under the Common Maritime Agenda, coordination among Black Sea countries remains uneven, especially in aligning national policies with regional strategies. There were calls to strengthen the governance and improve cross-border collaboration mechanisms.

2. Limited data sharing and monitoring: Stakeholders highlighted the lack of harmonised marine data systems, which hampers joint research and policy-making. The need for better digital infrastructure and open-access platforms was emphasised to support marine spatial planning and environmental monitoring.

3. Funding and investment gaps: Many innovative projects struggle with access to finance, especially start-ups and community-led initiatives. Participants urged streamlined EU funding mechanisms and more inclusive investment strategies to support blue economy ventures.

4. Climate resilience and environmental pressures: Rising sea levels, pollution and biodiversity loss were cited as urgent environmental threats. The conference stressed integrated coastal zone management and climate adaptation strategies as top priorities.

5. Capacity building and youth engagement: A recurring theme was the need to empower young professionals and build local capacity in maritime sectors. Stakeholders called for education programmes, internships and mentorship networks to bridge the skills gap.

Several conclusions and recommendations arisen from the conference focused on:

• increasing the visibility of regional initiatives and success stories
• strengthening partnerships across sectors and countries
• committing to data sharing, innovation and youth engagement
• supporting the Common Maritime Agenda technical groups

Black Sea today and tomorrow

Three panel sessions were organised around ocean literacy for marine ecosystem resilience, emerging innovations in energy transition and spatial planning, as well as financing innovations and start-ups at coastal community level.

Ocean literacy projects such as the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions, CUL-MAR-SKILLS project, EU4Ocean Coalition and the Environmental and Ocean Literacy in the Black Sea Basin project were presented. They demonstrated how enhanced ocean literacy can boost marine ecosystem resilience in the Black Sea by raising awareness, improving scientific communication, and engaging stakeholders - from communities and youth to policymakers. Informed societies play a key role in sustaining marine environments and education should start at school.

CINEA Project Adviser Gema San Bruno introduced the Energy Transition Partnership of the EU fisheries and aquaculture sector, followed by an overview of maritime spatial planning developments and needs in the Black Sea in view of different offshore activities. Finally, the University of Burgas introduced the Sustainable Blue Economy Partnership , which comprises an innovation and research agenda including the offshore renewables assessment and the Black Sea.

Building on lessons from the Black Sea Accelerator, UNOPS, DG REGIO and the Mykolaiv City Council gave some examples of regional investments tools and financial support models fostering small-scale innovation and local economic development in coastal and maritime communities such as the Blueing the Black Sea Programme or the Interreg Black Sea.

Waves of change made by regional projects

Some regional projects have made a difference in the Black Sea region. Overall, these projects exemplify innovative, collaborative, and sustainable approaches to address environmental and economic challenges in the Black Sea region. The session was open to questions from the Conference attendees and gained high rates of engagement.

The projects presented were: BlackNETs , AlgaeRevive and INTERSMARTS

BlackNETs addressed the issue of abandoned, lost, or discarded fishing gear, also known as "ghost gear," which contributes significantly to marine plastic pollution. The project emphasises a collaborative approach among riparian countries to encourage co-responsibility.

AlgaeRevive focuses on tackling nutrient-driven pollution and eutrophication in the Black Sea, which leads to harmful algal blooms.

INTERSMARTS targets smart sustainable tourism and blue growth in the Black Sea Basin. The project addresses environmental degradation, strong seasonality pressures on local economies, and insufficient collaboration between academia, business, and policy. The project aims to foster sustainable tourism in the area.

Increasing coastal communities and balancing different offshore economic activities: which prospects? Two workshops required an active stakeholders' participation to come up with two-three project ideas to tackle two different challenges. On one hand, there is the need to increase coastal communities' resilience through ocean literacy and innovative skills. On the other hand, allowing communities to participate in maritime spatial planning decisions by balancing different offshore economic activities (including offshore renewable deployment) can empower community needs and resilience. The protection of critical infrastructures is also a top priority for the region.

The most voted projects ideas were presented at the end of the conference:

• "WIBE - Women Integration in the Blue Economy" aiming at enhancing gender equality, employability and education for women in the maritime and coastal sectors of the Black Sea region
• the "Establishment of Black Sea Maritime Spatial Planning Body" project aiming to create a dedicated maritime spatial planning body, involving authorities, NGOs, universities, and businesses.

Innovative projects for sustainability and collaboration

The poster exhibition showcased innovative projects addressing sustainability and collaboration in the Black Sea region. Key themes included marine conservation and carbon sequestration, with projects like Carbon Binding Blue Black Sea focusing on preserving marine vegetation, and using GIS for mapping and community engagement.

Data sharing and open science were highlighted, with initiatives like EMODnet promoting open data practices, and REINFORSEA emphasising stakeholder engagement and gender equality. Environmental monitoring and AI-driven solutions were prominent, with projects like BS-SEOS using AI and smart buoys for data collection, and Recycllux employing satellite observation and AI to combat plastic pollution.

Climate resilience and blue economy transformation were central, with BRIDGE-BS advancing ecosystem knowledge through smart monitoring and community collaboration, and SHORE focusing on blue economy innovation through funding and networking. Stakeholder capacity building was also emphasised, with projects like the EMFAF RESPONSE, which istraining stakeholders for marine pollution response, and Living Labs fostering climate-neutral innovation.

Awarding innovation in the Black Sea

The final touch of the Conference were the Awards given to outstanding Black Sea projects in different categories.

The awarded projects were:

IASON+ - Invasive Alien Species Observatory and Network Development for the Assessment of Climate Change Impacts and Contextual Ecosystem Services Evaluation in Black Sea Deltaic Protected Areas. Category "Healthy marine and coastal ecosystems"

TRESOILPower2X Danube Waste Plastic to hydrogen. Category "A competitive, innovative and sustainable blue economy for the Black Sea".

INTERSMARTS - Interdisciplinary Solutions for Smart Sustainable Tourism and Services for Blue Growth in the Black Sea Basin. Category "Fostering Investment in the Black Sea blue economy". This was also the most voted project, becoming the "winner among the winners".

Closing

The Ukrainian National Coordinator and the European Commission (DG MARE) closed the event by highlighting how the good discussions, networking and sharing of information will help to implement and design the Common Maritime Agenda for the Black Sea and its priorities for the coming year.