Priorities of Bulgaria’s Black Sea Economic Cooperation Council Presidency

published on 11/2/09 3:52 PM

Photo: BGNES

On 1 November Bulgaria took over the rotating presidency of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Council for the next six months. This took place last month at the BSEC foreign ministerial in Baku, Azerbaijan.

The BSEC Council set up in 1992 has 11 full member countries from the Black Sea region. Eight other countries hold observer status. In a speech to the Council in Baku Bulgarian Foreign Minister Rumiana Jeleva accentuated the priorities of the Bulgarian presidency. Its motto is Bridging Sea, Energizing Cooperation, and as Mrs. Jeleva noted, it sums up these priorities. She thanked BSEC countries for the consensus reached over the Bulgarian proposal to move to two rotating presidency terms per year, a step approved by the foreign ministers in Baku. Jeleva pointed out that Bulgaria would continue adding to the BSEC agenda other issues regarding organization that according to the Bulgarian side prevent the BSEC from acting as an authentic regional body. In this context Minister Jeleva identified the need of revising the functions of BSEC working groups. She also highlighted the need to steer the organization to more pragmatic steps and to projects of regional and sub-regional importance. She outlined cooperation spheres including energy, tourism, science and technology and soft security measures. Last but not least the Bulgarian foreign minister said the EU should focus on the Black Sea region in three key aspects: acceleration of launching sector partnerships within the framework of the European policy for interaction with the Black Sea countries; cooperation for more effective involvement of the European Commission and of the already mentioned BSEC observer countries that are also EU members - Austria, Germany, Italy, Poland, France, Slovakia and the Czech Republic; continuity in the EU-BSEC dialogue and restoring regular working sessions in Brussels in this format. Rumiana Jeleva also accentuated the importance of contacts between local governments in the Black Sea region as a way to boost trust and cooperation,

English version: Daniela Konstantinova

По публикацията работи: Dimitar Ushev

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