Doc. 10984

27 June 2006

Sustainable development of the Black Sea: Co-operation between local and regional authorities

Motion for a recommendation

presented by Mr Fenechiu and others

      The Parliamentary Assembly has been concerned about and has been dealing with environment, fisheries and co-operation in semi-enclosed seas for many years. The Black Sea is one of them. The protection of its resources and biotopes is of vital importance for many European countries and for Europe as a whole.

      In order to address more efficiently these problems, the Assembly emphasised the need for more co-operation at sub-regional level, in particular in the Black Sea basin, as a way of promoting the social and economic sustainable development.

      A large part of the human population living in coastal zones depends for a large part on resources from this sea. At the same time, semi-enclosed marine systems are heavily impacted by the whole range of human activities.

      The Black Sea is a unique water body. This is the sea with the largest specific drainage basin in the world. Its area amounts to 2 million square kilometres and covers almost one third of continental Europe. These natural characteristics have made the Black Sea ecosystem outstanding in terms of biodiversity. However, during the last decades the sea has become one of the most environmentally degraded regional seas on our planet. The Black Sea fish stock has been exhausted by over-fishing and salmon and sturgeon have become a rare species, soon to be extinct due to poaching.

      The economic activities development, both on its banks and in the Black Sea, is permanently putting a growing pressure on the entire sea. All these various activities such as tourism, oil exploitation and transport, infrastructure development and fisheries pose new challenges to the region.

      It is therefore necessary to have an increased cross-border co-operation, at all political, economic and social levels. It is also necessary to ensure co-ordinated and sustained answers to the important environmental and development challenges existing in the area, in strengthening the historical links among the participating countries, mainly by the riparian ones, and in promoting their cultural heritage.

      In order to enhance sustainable economic development and good governance with a view to ensuring stability, democracy and prosperity in the region there is a growing need for sub-regional approach. The interregional co-operation should contribute to the improvement of the quality of life of the inhabitants of the Black Sea area, to the social cohesion and better understanding in the border regions of the Black Sea basin. (Paragraph from Declaration Constanta).

      The Council of Europe, particularly the Assembly, has a major role to play in interacting with governments, parliaments, local and regional authorities concerned for a better trans-border co-operation aiming to support the sustainable development of the Black Sea basin.

Signed ¹:

• FENECHIU, Relu, Romania, ALDE
• CLIVETI, Minodora, Romania, SOC
• CUBREACOV, Vlad, Moldova, EPP/CD
• FERNÁNDEZ AGUILAR, Adolfo, Spain, EPP/CD
• HANCOCK, Michael, United Kingdom, ALDE
• LEAHU, Angela, Moldova, EPP/CD
• LENGAGNE, Guy, France, SOC
• PROVERA, Fiorello, Italy, ALDE
• SCHIEDER, Peter, Austria, SOC
• SEVERINSEN, Hanne, Denmark, ALDE

¹ SOC: Socialist Group
      EPP/CD: Group of the European People’s Party
      ALDE: Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
      EDG: European Democratic Group
      UEL: Group of the Unified European Left
      NR: not registered in a group