The BSEC Organization warmly congratulates the Union for the Mediterranean on its 25th Anniversary and wishes that the next 25 years of the Union will be even more productive and beneficial for the friendly people of the Mediterranean basin. The aims and objectives of BSEC and the UfM are identical in what concerns fostering interaction and harmony among States and encouraging friendly and good-neighbourly relations among their Members.
The working relations between the two Organizations look back to many years of cooperation and exchange of experience, not only bilateral but also on the multilateral level; it could not be otherwise as both Seas are the craddle of some of the most important Civilizations and Cultures of Mankind.
However narrow the straits that connect the two Seas may be, there has always been a continuous and fertile exchange of People, Cultures, Trade and Traditions; in fact, even the waters of the one flow simultaneously into the basin of the other for millennia!
The BSEC Organization and the UfM have been working together on topics of common interest like combating marine litter and plastics in the sea, addressing the negative impact of Climate Change, promoting the Blue Economy, etc.
Last year the BSEC PERMIS organized an International High-level Conference on “Inter-basin Cooperation on Marine Litter: a focus on the Danube River and the Black Sea” in Sofia, Bulgaria, during which the UfM shared its valuable experience in combating plastic litter in the Mediterranean. Blue Growth is another topic of common interest: while the BSEC PERMIS is in the process of creating a Black Sea Virtual Knowledge Center on Blue Economy, it will proceed so on the model prepared and managed by the UfM (Mediterranean Blue Economy Stakeholder Platform); the UfM experience and know-how will be of great help in that regard.
The last Coordination Meeting of Regional Organizations in Europe was prepared and generously hosted by the UfM in Barcelona, in November 2019, while the next one will be hosted by the BSEC Organization in its premises in Istanbul, whenever the Coronavirus outbreak will permit.
These are just a few examples of how the cooperation between both Organizations has developed during the years; while wishing every success to the Union for the Mediterranean, the BSEC Organization and its Member States are looking forward to further expand coordination and synergies among the two, in order to address the serious challenges that the respective wider regions face today.
For more information:
anniversary's website