Alexandra Bogdan, Director in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania, representing the 2023 Coordination of the CMA for the Black Sea, participated in the launch of the Danube and Black Sea Lighthouse, held in the Palace of the Parliament of Romania on 3 April.
The purpose of the event was to officially kick off work under the Danube and Black Sea Lighthouse, a key activity of the EU Mission ‘Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030’. It brought together stakeholders in the sector to further discuss cooperation on issues related to the protection and conservation of ecological diversity in the Danube River and the Black Sea region.
During her keynote speech, Ms. Bogdan spoke of the opportunities on synergies between the CMA and the Lighthouse, most notably how to strengthen mutual support to the Danube and Black Sea community.
She highlighted the added value of the CMA in terms of environmental objectives and existing network of projects and partners in the region, bringing examples of concrete synergies to be achieved between the two initiatives.
On the one hand, the Lighthouse can support research and innovation projects to foster the sustainable transition of the region, thus contributing to CMA goals and priorities. On the other, the CMA and its National Hubs can work closely with the Lighthouse to share best practices, promote common objectives and mobilise stakeholders, making a concrete contribution to the Mission Charter.
The National Hub of Romania also participated in the event.
The Danube and Black Sea Lighthouse joins the other area-based lighthouses in major sea/river basins: Atlantic-Arctic, Mediterranean Sea, and Baltic-North Sea. Its objective is to protect and restore marine and freshwater ecosystems, using innovation and wide stakeholder engagement as key enablers. The process is to support the EU goal of achieving a good environmental status of oceans and waters and reaching climate neutrality.