Burgas hosted the international SPLASH Black Sea 2026 forum, which looked at new solutions for water, the marine environment and the maritime industry in the Black Sea region. The forum took place on 2 October at the city's International Congress Centre. See our original report: Burgas to host annual Common Maritime Agenda for the Black Sea conference.

This report follows our earlier coverage of the annual stakeholder conference on the Common Maritime Agenda for the Black Sea, also held in Burgas. That meeting focused on cooperation between countries in the region and on boosting the blue economy.

The Bulgarian Maritime Cluster organised the forum, with support from EIT Water and co-funding from the European Union. It brought together business, academic and public-sector representatives from seven countries: Bulgaria, Romania, Georgia, Croatia, Denmark, the United Kingdom and Turkey.

Burgas deputy mayor for finance, budget, economy and maritime affairs Stanimir Apostolov addressed participants. He said it was an honour to open the event as the only deputy mayor in Bulgaria with a maritime affairs role, adding that meetings like this matter for a sea city like Burgas.

Apostolov said the council encourages dialogue between the public sector, business, and academic and non-government groups. He said efforts on Black Sea issues need to come together, pointing to protecting water, cutting pollution and preserving marine ecosystems. He added that the council backs the Bulgarian Maritime Cluster's work and that working with other countries matters for the sector's growth.

In a panel titled "Innovation in water, the marine environment and the maritime industry in the Black Sea region," experts and industry representatives discussed the challenges facing the sector, new solutions and chances to work together across the region. Representatives from EIT Water set out the organisation's vision for the future of Europe's water sector and for building an environment that supports new solutions in water, the marine environment and the maritime industry.

At an interactive session on partnerships in the Black Sea economy, participants pitched their ideas and solutions, swapped contacts and discussed working together in future. The talks also covered managing water resources, protecting the marine environment and growing the blue economy.