What does a region need when the sea it depends on is under pressure? Better data, better preparation, better investments. And, above all, people who know how to act together when a problem crosses a border.
These are some of the questions being explored at the Black Sea Stakeholder Conference 2026, which took place in Burgas (Bulgaria) on 30 September. Policymakers, researchers, businesses, investors and maritime experts from across the region came together to look at practical ways to build a healthier, more resilient and competitive Black Sea.
Preparing for pollution before it happens
When an oil leak, a damaged vessel or another hazardous incident happen at sea, particularly in a war context, the consequences can quickly spread beyond one country. The RESPONSE project is helping the people responsible for dealing with marine pollution prepare for precisely these situations.
The project, funded under the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund, is developing and testing training programmes tailored to the particular risks faced in the region, especially pollution linked to armed conflict. The aim is straightforward: strengthen the ability of authorities and organisations to monitor pollution, share information and coordinate their response when an incident occurs.
That practical approach has now earned RESPONSE a Black Sea Project Award 2026. The Awards, now in their third edition, recognise projects delivering innovative and impactful solutions for the region, from protecting marine ecosystems to building a competitive and sustainable blue economy.
RESPONSE is one of two projects whose results were showcased in a dedicated conference session, alongside Black Sea SIERRA. Both are working on strengthening preparedness and response to war-induced marine pollution, developing training frameworks as well as tools and resources that can help turn knowledge into action.
From pollution response to sustainable growth
For Luca Marangoni, Head of Unit for a sustainable blue economy at the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency, this is part of a bigger picture.
In his keynote speech, he highlighted the need to move beyond developing tools to making sure they are actually used:
“In the Black Sea, pollution does not stop at borders, and neither can our response. Preparedness and coordination are essential to protect our marine environment, coastal communities and blue economy. RESPONSE and Black Sea SIERRA give us practical tools to act. Now we need to put them to work.”
Luca Marangoni also brought another piece of the blue economy puzzle into the discussion: sustainable aquaculture.
Speaking to the Technical Group on Sustainable Aquaculture, he highlighted three priorities emerging from recent work supported by CINEA: making feed systems more sustainable, finding realistic ways to reduce emissions across different types of aquaculture, and getting existing innovations into wider use.
The message is not about finding one solution for every farm. Different production systems face different challenges. But with more sustainable feed, cleaner energy, greater efficiency and stronger uptake of innovation, aquaculture can become more competitive and resilient while reducing its environmental footprint.
Building resilience before the next crisis
The stakes go beyond responding to a single pollution incident. The Black Sea is facing multiple pressures at once, from pollution and the environmental consequences of the war in Ukraine to climate risks and the need to maintain sustainable economic activity. Addressing them requires more than emergency response: it requires stronger knowledge, skills, planning and cooperation across borders.
This is where other EU-funded initiatives contribute. MEDIGREEN is strengthening cooperation and maritime spatial planning to help manage competing uses of the sea while supporting the green transition. BLUE PORTS is developing skills and training for people working in ports as they adapt to greener operations. EU4Ocean is building ocean literacy and blue skills by bringing together organisations, young people and schools.
Taking part in the Conference, Eirini Apazoglou, EU4Ocean partner, said:
“To protect the Black Sea, we need not only to understand it, but also to understand what it means to the people who live around it. That connection is where ocean literacy begins.”
These initiatives may address different parts of the challenge, but they point to the same practical need: resilience has to be built before a crisis, not improvised during one. That means having the information to understand what is happening, the skills to respond, the planning to anticipate competing pressures and the cooperation needed to act across borders.
That is also why the project results showcased in Burgas matter. They are developing tools, training and frameworks that can be taken up by authorities and other organisations. The next step is to put those results into practice, connect them with wider regional efforts and ensure that the capacity built today is still there when the next challenge arrives.
- Publication date
- 1 October 2026
- Author
- European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency