National Environmental Agency National Environmental Agency

Funding programme: Interreg NEXT Black Sea Basin Programme

Programme priority: Clean and Green Region

Specific objective: RSO2.7: Enhancing protection and preservation of nature, biodiversity and green infrastructure, including in urban areas, and reducing all forms of pollution.

Project duration: June 2024 - August 2026

Total project budget: 823.980,84 EUR

Interreg Funds/ EU funds: 741.582,75 EUR

Partners:

Romanian Maritime Training Centre Romania (RO) CERONAV- Lead Partner

Black Sea - Danube Association of Research and Development Bulgaria (BG) BDCA

LEPL – National Environmental Agency Georgia (GE) NEA

Piri Reis University Türkiye (TR) PRU

Shabla Municipality Bulgaria (BG) SM 

Project specific objective:  Raised awareness leading to enhanced environmental-friendly behaviour of communities and reduced pollution and strengthened capacities of local administrations to educate and train citizens at multiple educational levels, with focus on coastal areas and port cities in the Black Sea Basin regions during project life time.

LEARN4SEA activities:

Designing and setting up a network of Environmental Information Centres/ EICs connected via web portal and equipped for actions to protect the environment and reduce pollution in the Black Sea Basin.

Organising measurements of water and air quality parameters for subsequent actions to raise awareness.

Delivering and piloting an innovative methodology for air and water quality assessment following analysis of data collected.

Elaborating promotional and innovative educational materials for raised awareness of the target groups.

Informal training at multiple educational levels.

Demonstration and raising awareness campaigns for changed behaviour of the citizens in the Black Sea Basin regions.

Setting a mechanism for cooperation between authorities to generate initiatives and regulations for better protected environment and reduced pollution.

 Project Results:

• One innovative methodology for environment specialists will be jointly developed by project partners to be taken up by advisory boards of local/ regional authorities when they generate local initiatives for reduced pollution. The methodology will be based on the analysis of air and water quality measurements conducted by the consortium to complete the available official data, capitalising on expertise of the partners, the knowledge and lessons learnt and equipment procured in previously EU co-funded projects (Interreg funds) implemented by the project partners.
• Environmental Information Centres/ EICs will be created as a solution to the lack of an informal educational digital platform in the Black Sea Basin regions. Its database will not only make available all information and materials developed in the project, but will be used to display real-time data collected from sensors placed in different locations in the 4 participating countries. One such physical centre will be located in each partner organisation based on a concept developed in GREEN DANUBE project implemented by two of the partners in the current consortium, and adapted to the real needs in the territories.

• Guidelines for setting up a cooperation mechanism as a solution for the gap between the decision makers and the real communities, including examples of best practices and local initiatives for environment protection and reduced pollution. A series of demonstrations and raising awareness actions will be rolled out by all project partners using innovative (Virtual Reality) training materials as well as customized information. materials jointly developed to efficiently reach different levels of the general public (children, youth, adults), professionals and decision makers in the environmental field.

Contact details:

Lead Partner: CERONAV - Romanian Maritime Training Centre, Constanța, Romania;

Website: www.ceronav.ro;

Contact person: Mrs. Mihaela Vintila, Phone: +40.241.639 595/ext. 1117, Email: mihaelavintila@ceronav.ro.