Bulgaria and five other countries marked Black Sea Day on 31 October. It is 30 years since six Black Sea states signed a Strategic Action Plan to protect and restore the sea on this date, the Ministry of Environment and Water reminded the public.
The plan involves Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Russia, Georgia and Turkey. It continues work under the Convention on the Protection of the Black Sea Against Pollution, signed in Bucharest in 1992. The ministry says the plan's message still holds: the future of the sea depends on the joint efforts of the countries and on responsible use of its resources.
A day earlier, on 30 October, the second international forum "Black Sea 2030: Security, Sustainability, Innovation" took place at the International Congress Centre in Burgas. Participants agreed on a shared position: security at sea is not only about geopolitical and military risks. It also covers protecting the marine environment, the strength of coastal communities, economic growth and technological independence.
The ministry describes the Black Sea as a natural system with rich biodiversity. Its waters and coast are home to many plant and animal species, and the economy, tourism and the livelihoods of millions of people depend on the sea.
The ministry calls the sea one of the most vulnerable marine ecosystems. The threats are waste and plastics, pollutants carried by rivers, overfishing and the destruction of natural habitats. Its location and weak water exchange with other seas make it harder for the sea to recover on its own.
The ministry monitors water quality, works to cut pollution, protects biodiversity and carries out Bulgaria's national and international commitments. It says protecting the sea is a priority of the country's environmental policy. It says the coast, tourism, shipping and the maritime economy should grow with nature in mind.
On 30 October in Burgas, at the international forum "Black Sea 2030: Security, Sustainability, Innovation", Romania's deputy director general at the environment ministry, George Constantin, proposed that the two countries monitor the Black Sea together, including by satellite.
The ministry calls the Black Sea a shared wealth, and says caring for it today is an investment in its future and in the lives of coming generations.