On 19 March 2026, the Bulgarian CMA Coordination held the first CMA Steering Group (SG) Meeting. The meeting brought together representatives from the Black Sea countries, the European Commission, the Black Sea Assistance Mechanism (BSAM), international and regional institutions such as the World Bank, Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC), Black Sea Commission (BSC), among members from the Technical Groups (TG) on SustAqua and on SustTourism, and other CMA observers.
The Bulgarian CMA Coordinator welcomed participants and highlighted the strong commitment to regional cooperation and integrity and introduced the four main pillars of its 2026 coordination: sustainable tourism, aquaculture, shipping, and strengthened synergies between the Black Sea and the EU Strategy for the Danube Region. DG MARE thanked Bulgaria for an ambitious and well‑structured actions and acknowledged the significant progress achieved under Ukraine’s coordination in 2025, despite challenging circumstances. The European Commission confirmed full support for the continued implementation of the CMA, highlighting the importance of alignment with the EU Strategic Approach to the Black Sea and the EU Ocean Pact, alongside upcoming EU policy initiatives in 2026.
BSAM presented the Implementation Report 2025, outlining progress on CMA goals including environmental monitoring, national events, 29 projects supported through the national hub network, and the Black Sea Project Awards. A dedicated discussion on the TG SustAqua reviewed activities, policy recommendations and potential project ideas, with the Steering Group endorsing a call for independent experts to complement the nationally appointed members. National coordinators reaffirmed their commitment to the CMA and shared 2026 priorities spanning environmental monitoring, sustainable fisheries and aquaculture, maritime transport decarbonisation, data sharing and digitalisation, and stronger Black Sea-Danube synergies. CMA observers provided updates on regional initiatives and EU-funded projects, and participants were informed of key funding opportunities including the EMFAF call on Maritime Spatial Planning and relevant Horizon Europe calls under the Sustainable Blue Economy Partnership and the Restore Our Ocean and Waters Mission.
Bulgaria underlined the added value of its simultaneous coordination of the CMA and the EU Strategy for the Danube Region, offering a unique opportunity to deepen synergies and advance concrete, project‑oriented cooperation, including on maritime connectivity and sea traffic management in cooperation in the Black Sea.
The SG meeting concluded with a strong reaffirmation of countries’ commitment to the CMA and a shared focus on developing more concrete, project‑oriented cooperation in the Black Sea region. The next CMA Steering Group Meeting will take place in July 2026 in Brussels, back‑to‑back with the Macro‑regional and Sea Basin Strategies Days.