Xenophon Paper 2 pdf - ICBSS

A series of other events gave further impetus for a Black Sea policy. Georgia and
Ukraine underwent their ‘velvet’ revolutions in 2003 and 2004 respectively and their
stated goal of joining the Western democratic community of nations changed the
regional environment substantially. At the same time, the US ‘Global War on Terror’
redefined completely the strategic context of the Black Sea area – with the Afghan
campaign and especially later with the Iraq campaign. The US and its allies needed a
strategic corridor of friendly states, linking their bases in Western Europe with those
in Central Asia and the Middle East. A number of Black Sea nations – Bulgaria, Romania,
Georgia and Azerbaijan – became part of the US political and military strategy. Thus,
the Black Sea’s significance grew immensely been treated as a bridgehead to the
Wider Middle East.
The European Union was not quick to engage with the region, although it was already
present through the enlargement perspective of Bulgaria and Romania, the partnership
with Russia, Turkey’s candidacy and later on through the European Neighbourhood
Policy (ENP). But these were different sets of policies for the region - a regional approach
as such did not exist. Gradually, the EU developed a deeper interest, recognising the
potential of the region for energy transit, and through the insistence of member states
– primarily the newcomers of Central Europe and the Baltics – focused more actively
on an eastern dimension of its external relations. Still, the EU is hesitant to engage more
deeply in fully understanding the grave problems the region has to deal with and reluctant
as well as to take on the complications with Russia, which is uneasy with outside
interference so close to its borders.
Bulgaria’s stakes in the Black Sea region
Bulgaria is a littoral state of the Black Sea that in devising its policy approach towards
the region must consider an economic and trade dimension, a political and security
dimension and finally, an environmental and human perspective.
Domestically, the Black Sea region hosts two of the most powerful local economies
– Burgas and Varna, with Varna competing already with the economy of the
capital Sofia on a number of fields. The most attractive part of Bulgaria’s Black
Sea area is a booming tourist industry. Tourism, together with the fishing industry,
makes the issue of environmental protection of the Black Sea a key issue for the
country.
The country is physically and economically connected with the rest of the region and
the world through the major ports of Varna and Burgas (with 60% of international trade
carried out through these ports), which means that the safety of the sea lanes is vital
for the country. Burgas and Varna also have airports, which serve growing international
traffic. Five of the ten trans-European transport corridors (TENs) pass through Bulgaria
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