The Ministerial Meeting/Diplomatic Conference on
the Protection of the Black Sea against Pollution
Sofia, 17 April 2009
FINAL ACT
The Ministerial Meeting/Diplomatic Conference on the Protection of the Black Sea Against Pollution took place in Sofia on 17 April 2009.
The following Contracting Parties of the Convention on the Protection of the Black Sea Against Pollution took part in the Ministerial Meeting: the Republic of Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Turkey and Ukraine.
Representatives of the European Community (EC), the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans in the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and contiguous Atlantic area (ACCOBAMS), the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC), the Food and Agriculture Organization / General Fisheries Council for the Mediterranean (FAO/GFCM) and of the Black Sea NGO network attended the Diplomatic Conference as observers.
The list of the delegations is attached.
The opening meeting of the Ministerial Meeting was attended by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria, His Excellency Mr Ivailo Kalfin who addressed the participants.
Diplomatic representatives accredited in Sofia were also present.
Statements were made by the heads of delegations of the Republic of Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Turkey and Ukraine.
The representative of the Republic of Bulgaria also took the floor, as well as those of the EC, ICPDR, UNEP, UNDP, ACCOBAMS, BSEC, FAO/GFCM and of the Black Sea NGO network.
The Ministerial Meeting, also serving as Diplomatic Conference for the purpose of Article XX of the Convention, considered and adopted the following instruments, annexed to this Final Act:
- The Protocol for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Black Sea from Land-Based Sources and Activities;
The Ministerial Meeting also adopted the Strategic Action Plan for the Environmental Protection and Rehabilitation of the Black Sea, 2009;
In witness thereof, the following representatives have signed this Final Act.
Done in Sofia, on 17 April 2009, in a single original copy, in English, to be deposited in the archives of the Government of Romania.
For the Republic of Bulgaria …………………………………………………………………
For Georgia …………………………………………………………………..
For Romania ……………………………………………………………………
For the Russian Federation …………………………………………………………………….
For the Republic of Turkey …………………………………………………………………….
For Ukraine ………………………………………………………………........