Bulgarian Ports
Infrastructure Company

The team of Bulgarian Ports Infrastructure Company – a partner in the project Maritime Spatial Planning – Black Sea (MARSPLAN-BS), took part in the final conference on “Challenges and Opportunities of Maritime Spatial Planning for the Black Sea in Bulgaria and Romania”. In order to report the results achieved in relation to the development of maritime spatial planning in the two Black Sea countries, the project partners gathered on 11.01.2018 in the city of Bucharest, Romania.

Among the attendees were the Project Coordinator from BPI Co. Ms. Snezhina Alexieva, the Deputy Minister of Regional Development, Public Administration and European Funds of Romania Mr. Paul Stanesku, the Director of Executive Agency for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Mr. Julian Guerrier, the Director General of the National Institute of Marine Research and Development “Grigor Antipa” Mr. Simeon Nikolaev, representatives of the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works of Bulgaria, and representatives of Institute of Oceanology BAS.

In the project Cross-Border Maritime Spatial Plan for Black Sea – Romania, Bulgaria (MARSPLAN-BS) participate 10 partners from Romania and Bulgaria, the Lead Partner is the Regional Development, Public Administration and European Funds of Romania. Within the project a comprehensive analysis of Romanian and Bulgarian territorial waters and adjacent territories is developed and an institutional framework for cross-border maritime spatial planning is established for Bulgaria and Romania.

The project is funded by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund through a Grant Agreement between the European Commission Executive Agency for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises and the Regional Development, Public Administration and European Funds of Romania.

A spatial plan for the Mangalia – Shabla cross-border region and a routing system for ships in the territorial sea of Romania and Bulgaria were presented at the meeting in Bucharest. The possibilities for developing a new system for separate movement of ships in the territorial waters of Bulgaria were also discussed. An integrated approach to maritime activities, in particular the contribution of MARSPLAN-BS project on the implementation of Directive 2014/89/ЕС establishing a framework for maritime spatial planning were discussed during the meeting.

Directive 2014/89/ЕU of the European Parliament and of the Council of July 23 2014 establishing a framework for maritime spatial planning is a component of the consistently implemented integrated Maritime Policy of the European Union. The underlying idea is that the member States and the EU as a whole could benefit more from seas and oceans with less environmental impact by coordinating their sectorial fisheries and aquaculture, ports, the protection of the marine environment, marine research, offshore energy, shipbuilding and maritime-related industries, sea and coastal tourism, employment in the sectors related to sea and coastal region and etc.

The Directive facilitates EU Member States to organize and implement Maritime Spatial planning as an instrument of the Integrated Maritime Spatial Policy supporting and enabling the implementation of the Strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth (Europe 2020 Strategy). Maritime Spatial planning is called upon to create the framework for coherent, transparent and sustainable decision-making based on objective data and thus to contribute to more effective management of marine use activities in accordance with Member States’ national policies and legislation.