On 12 December 2024 in Burgas, the Maritime Cluster Bulgaria – National Hub of the Black Sea Assistance Mechanism (BSAM), with the support of the Ministry of Transport and Communications of the Republic of Bulgaria, organised a round-table discussion event as part of the “CMA in my country” campaign. The event, titled "Connectivity and Sustainable Collaboration in the Black Sea Region - Innovation Potential and Development Prospects" included two discussion sessions: The first session focused on the experience, prospects, and challenges to maritime connectivity in the Black Sea region. The second session focused on sustainable collaboration: participants featured a potential project idea and discussed its feasibility and implementation challenges in terms of the Black Sea region’s competitiveness and sustainability.
Several stakeholders from business, academia, NGOs, and public administration, including representatives from Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania and Spain discussing and debating various topics, such as the need to leverage connectivity by water, the economic benefits hindered by insufficient level of connectivity, the specific ship requirements that need to be adopted to suit the conditions of the Black Sea, the infrastructure needs for refuelling with alternative fuels, and the tourism-related connectivity.
Participants emphasised the need for a holistic approach to enhance transport connectivity, sustainability, and digitalisation in the Black Sea region. This includes integrating local infrastructure into European networks and promoting economic and environmental competitiveness. The importance of ongoing public dialogue and promoting new technologies to improve societal awareness was also highlighted.
The ultimate goal of the round-table event was to ensure Black Sea connectivity by identifying bottlenecks to improve the current status in the region. It also provided a platform for exchanging best practices or opportunities from other sea basins. Participants brainstormed and developed conceptual ideas for innovative projects and technologies in maritime transport and explored collaborative possibilities to support their adoption and uptake, aiming to increase the sustainability and competitiveness of the region. The results of the brainstorming session included project proposals for developing a passenger ferry link and recognising market and public demand for transport and tourism services. The conclusions considered coordinated efforts and partnerships from all kinds of stakeholders involved, making effective use of the European Union’s political and financial instruments, that will ultimately aim to achieve the Black Sea region’s sustainable development and innovation.