Black Sea SCENE
A sustainable Internet-based service — BlackSeaScene InfoNet — is now available as part of the Black Sea SCENE project, a regional research infrastructure coordinated action in the EU Sixth Framework Programme FP6. Scientists, decision makers, industries, environmental NGOs and other stakeholders, as well as the public in the Black Sea countries are now in a position to be better informed and better prepared to approach issues related to the Black Sea.
The 25 project partners, in the course of the final project year, developed a number of products mainly catalogues but also tools to support the research in and around the Black Sea. The products are closely related to those within SeaDataNet, but are developed by the Black Sea SCENE partners specifically for Black Sea SCENE purposes. They cover search applications of catalogues with Datasets, Projects, Scientists, Reports, a DQC inventory etc. Users of the research infrastructure will be able to manage and to operate central indices and database of information on the Black Sea hosted by institutes around it. The service will also facilitate harmonization in quality and formats, storing and retrieving of Black Sea information for use by Black Sea SCENE partners, scientific users and the public.
The information service will be maintained and updated with newly acquired information from the partners as part of a long-term service agreement. The technical hosting of the services will be maintained to extend the impact of the system. Black Sea SCENE will be upgraded within the EU FP7.
Effective citizens’ control on governments
A project aiming to support effective citizens’ control on governments is implemented by the BSNN in North-eastern Bulgaria and involves also partners from two Romanian counties — Constanta and Galati. The project envisages involving NGOs and media in educational training and two practical modules of learning (‘Secret client’ and Access to information) about measures ensuring transparency and accountability of governments and the establishment of sustainable partnerships.
European Seas Environmental Cooperation
Seas At Risk, the association of environmental organisations concerned with the marine environment of the North East Atlantic and wider European seas, organised, in September 2008, a meeting with sister NGO networks that work for the protection of Europe's regional seas: Coalition Clean Baltic, the Black Sea NGO Network, and the Mediterranean Information Office for Environment, Culture and Sustainable Development. The participants discussed the challenges and opportunities posed by the Maritime Policy of the EU and its environmental pillar, the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. All NGO networks agreed that these should be the focus of their work in the coming years, and two representatives of the European Commission (from DG Mare and DG Environment) have emphasised the value of NGO input to both processes. To enhance the effectiveness of future work, the networks have jointly decided to cooperate under the heading of European Seas Environmental Cooperation (ESEC). The aim of the coordinated action is to avoid duplication of efforts and ensure quick dissemination of information at various levels, through a single focal point, which will reach the NGOs in the four networks and all of their members, and simultaneously convey their concerns and input to the European Commission.
Time to meet!
From 31 October to 2 November 2008 in Bucharest, the Federation of Romanian Development NGOs (FOND) organised a prestigious NGO event entitled the Black Sea NGO Forum: “Time to meet!”. It strives to start an annual tradition of bringing together over a hundred NGOs from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Moldova, Turkey, Ukraine, Romania, Russia, and other EU member states active in the wider Black Sea region. The event has been organised in cooperation with organisations from Georgia, Moldova and Russia, and in partnership with the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation and UNDP Romania. The aim of the event was to increase the level of dialogue and coordination among NGOs in the wider Black Sea region as well as to strengthen the advocacy capacity of NGOs in the Black Sea region in order to influence development strategies in the region. Three panels focused on a cross-cutting issue “Challenges and opportunities for NGO cooperation in the Black Sea region”, with presentations and discussions of the state of affairs in three broad fields: social justice and human rights, democracy and good governance and environment.
Twelfth Anniversary of Black Sea Action Day
October 31, 2008 marked the twelfth International Black Sea Action Day — a time to focus attention, within the framework of the ongoing efforts of governments and international institutions, on the urgent need for concerted action to restore and preserve the unique environment of this remarkable water body.
The day commemorates twelve years since representatives from all countries that border on the Black Sea — Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Russia, Turkey, and Ukraine — signed the Strategic Action Plan for the Rehabilitation and Protection of the Black Sea. The Plan forms a comprehensive guide for practical work to bring about real improvements to the sea’s dramatic deterioration.
A sustainable future for the Black Sea is only possible if the population of its drainage basin is aware of its role as a polluter and joins common efforts for pollution prevention and restoration of the environment. The International Black Sea Day is part of that process.
… in Varna
School children from the Varna Municipal Educational Complex celebrated International Black Sea Day October 31 by staging a procession from the city center to the beach and cleaned 400 m of the coast line. The sections Earth and Space Science and Civic Education involved over 80 participants in practical educational activities like outlining the contours of the Black Sea and the state borders of the six coastal states, discussing its environmental state and future.
… and in Taganrog
The Sailing Academy NGO of Taganrog, Russia does a lot of environmental education and awareness raising among school children. Usually it implements water quality monitoring projects in the run up to International Black Sea Action Day. In summer the NGO experts support environmental education activities in holiday camps.
Black Sea Youth Leaders Conference
A project made possible by the assistance of the Open Society Institute East-East Programme brought together over 40 NGO activists from Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and Moldova in the Black Sea Youth Leaders Conference held 15 —18 September 2006 in Varna, Bulgaria. Its goal was to encourage the young people from the Black Sea countries to perform the role of active citizens and to contribute to saving the Black Sea on the basis of international agreements, the activities of existing NGO networks and NGO expertise in public participation in decision making on environmental issues. As a specific topic the participants addressed the issue of youth capacity building in view of EU enlargement. They focused on the establishment of a youth network with joint planning and networking activities, as well as project preparation in view of the ongoing Black Sea Ecosystem Recovery Project — Phase 2.
Archive 2003—2006 is available on request