Via Pontica Foundation’s Chair takes part in the CMA Black Sea Stakeholder Conference 2026 in Burgas
On 30 September 2026, the International Congress Centre in Burgas hosted the CMA Black Sea Stakeholder Conference 2026, held under the theme “Regional Cooperation for a Thriving Black Sea: Coming Together for the Common Maritime Agenda”. Via Pontica Foundation was represented by the Chair of its Board, Ina Agafonova.
The conference was organised by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE), with Bulgaria acting as coordinator of the Common Maritime Agenda for the Black Sea in 2026. It was opened by Bulgaria’s Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food, Prof. Dr Ivan Paligorov, who stressed that the Black Sea is a strategic region of key importance for food security, the blue economy, maritime transport, tourism, fisheries and aquaculture, and that its challenges cannot be solved by any single country. Participants also included Charlina Vitcheva, Director-General of DG MARE, Hristo Panayotov, Executive Director of Bulgaria’s Executive Agency for Fisheries and Aquaculture, and representatives of Romania’s National Agency for Fisheries and Aquaculture.
The programme featured panel discussions on a healthy and resilient Black Sea and on driving the sustainable blue economy, with topics including preparedness for marine pollution, sustainable aquaculture, maritime spatial planning and greener ports, as well as a poster exhibition of projects from the Black Sea region. The Black Sea Project Awards 2026 were also presented in three categories: Healthy marine and coastal ecosystems; A competitive, innovative and sustainable blue economy; and Fostering investment in the Black Sea blue economy.
For Via Pontica Foundation, the conference was an opportunity to meet institutions, researchers and organisations from across the Black Sea basin and to exchange experience on the issues at the heart of our work — protecting coastal ecosystems and biodiversity and regional cooperation for a sustainable future of the Black Sea.
