On September 11-12, 2024, the international conference Black Sea Stakeholder Conference 2024 was held, with the agenda focusing on the main objectives of the Black Sea Common Maritime Agenda, namely   

•  Healthy Marine and Coastal Ecosystems,  

• A Competitive, Innovative, and Sustainable Blue Economy for the Black Sea  

• Fostering Investment in the Black Sea Blue Economy.   

 The event discussed the challenges and opportunities of the blue economy, delving into discussions on innovation, energy transition, blue skills, pollution, etc. Stakeholders were able to take part in cross-sectoral exchanges, promote cooperation, exchange of scientific knowledge and best practices.   

“For representatives of Ukraine, as a leading player in the Black Sea region, participation in such events is of strategic importance. It helps to integrate the Ukrainian maritime community into international projects and share best practices with international partners. An important role in this process is played by the Ukrainian Maritime Cluster, which actively promotes the integration of the Ukrainian maritime community into global initiatives, supports research and innovation projects, attracting investment in the blue economy of Ukraine. Participation in this conference allows us to stay at the forefront of implementing the latest technologies in the maritime industry, despite the current challenges,” – emphasized Artem Vashchylenko, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the PU “Ukrainian Maritime Cluster“.  

Olha Raku, Project Manager of the PU “Ukrainian Maritime Cluster”, told more about the event, noting that the first plenary session was devoted to the topic “Marine scientific knowledge for the Black Sea blue economy”. It addressed the health of marine and coastal ecosystems. The latest scientific research and projects aimed at understanding the value of the Black Sea ecosystem, raising community awareness, and engaging stakeholders in addressing multifactorial issues were discussed.  

The second topic was “Challenges and opportunities on the path to sustainable development and zero pollution”. This session focused on solving the problems of pollution and sustainable development of the Black Sea, as well as on funding opportunities for regional projects.  

The third session was “Innovative Perspectives for the Blue Economy”, which analyzed investment opportunities for innovative companies and successful blue economy initiatives, such as converting plastic waste into energy and using artificial intelligence to combat marine litter, etc.   

It should be reminded that from 2022 to 2024, the PU “Ukrainian Maritime Cluster” participated in the implementation of the 4BIZ grant project “Boosting  the Blue Economy in the Black Sea Region by Initiating a Business Collaboration Framework in the field of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Coastal and Maritime Tourism and Maritime Transport (a project funded by the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF)). The project aimed to develop a cooperation framework that will bring together blue economy stakeholders in the Black Sea countries to identify and address capacity building needs at the local level to stimulate innovation, digitalization and investment in the Black Sea blue economy, with a focus on fisheries and aquaculture, coastal and maritime tourism, and maritime transport.