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The BSC achievements to date are limited. While both the 1993 Odessa Declaration and the 1996 Strategic Action Plan for the Black Sea (BS SAP) established specific and concrete targets and timetables for implementing the objectives of the 1992 Bucharest Convention, very few of these targets appear to have been accomplished on time. It is also symptomatic that the 2002 Sofia Declaration is devoid of precision (when compared with the 1993 Odessa Declaration) which may indicate the Contracting Parties’ unwillingness to set up concrete objectives given their unfortunate previous experience.
The current organizational structure of the BSC is multi layered. There is little accountability within the existing organizational structure. For example, deadlines missed are often further extended and incomplete activities are rolled over to the next period. The resources, both human and financial, required maintaining such a complex organization is neither cost effective nor sustainable.
On the whole, there are two principle conclusions that stem from the legal analysis of the existing regulatory framework established under the 1992 Bucharest Convention and its subsidiary instruments. First, from the point of view of its general adequacy and consistency with current trends in international environmental law-making, the existing legal basis for regional environmental cooperation in the Black Sea is unsatisfactory and outdated. The second point, however, is that even in its current form this framework still provides the foundation for more effective regional efforts in combating marine pollution and improving the environmental status of the Sea. Consequently, some immediate improvements in the performance of the BSC could be achieved without radical changes in the existing legal framework. |
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