Introduction

This chapter compiles all existing information pertaining to governance at the national level related to water, nutrient and nature management, fisheries, ICZM and integrated pollution, prevention and control policies assessing them from regional perspective.

The assessment is based on the analysis of the situation in all 6 Black Sea coastal countries: Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Russian Federation, Turkey and Ukraine and it has been made in the framework of the Black Sea Convention and of the Black Sea Strategic Action Plan. Its main objective is to identify the actual status and the progress made since 1996, as well as the deficiencies/gaps in terms of legal and institutional frameworks, policy/legal harmonization and implementation of transboundary agreements.

Bulgaria, Romania and Ukraine are also signatory parties of the Danube River Protection Convention, which forms the overall legal instrument for cooperation and transboundary water management in the Danube River Basin. The situation is complicated by the fact that Bulgaria and Romania joined the European Community in 1st of January 2007, so the Black Sea is now recognized as a European Sea.

EU status, accession and membership and its implications, transboundary cooperation and the status of ratification/implementation of relevant international conventions and agreements have been also considered and assessed from the regional perspective.