Xenophon Paper 2 pdf - ICBSS

in the Black Sea area perceive the BSEC as too much dominated by the interests of the
regional superpowers, namely Russia and Turkey.
On the more technical side of the EU involvement, the EU will be present in the Black
Sea area with all its three pillars: the first, with fisheries and environmental protection,
maritime safety; second, defence, including naval forces involvement; and third, with
external borders and various justice and home affairs issues.
In the European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP) context, the Black Sea is represented
by three of its members – the multinational HELBROK battle group, consisting of forces
from Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece and Romania. The EU itself is also deliberating on the
naval implications of the ESDP as it has predominantly a maritime external border – in
the Baltic and Mediterranean seas, the Atlantic Ocean and now in the Black Sea. One
cannot rule out the establishment in the future of a naval force similar to the Euromarfor 17
of the Western Mediterranean EU member states.
There will be at least three EU agencies involved – the European Maritime Agency
(2003), the European Fisheries Agency (2005) and another new structure, the European
Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders of the
Member States (FRONTEX).
The domestic transformation factor
A discussion of regional cooperation cannot sideline a deeper look into the domestic
developments as these very much inform and influence foreign policy. What we are
witnessing is a dynamic transformation of the countries in the region - political, economic
and institutional. These changes however do not take place simultaneously – Georgia
is the country with the most visible political transformation, while Azerbaijan’s immense
economic growth has not been accompanied by political change. Only Bulgaria and
Romania on the western shores of the Black Sea, demonstrated that through welldesigned
and all-embracing reforms employing the European and the Euro-Atlantic
matrix, all three processes can be sustained - stability of the liberal-democratic political
system, accompanied by a robust institution-building and solid economic growth.
On the eastern shores of the Black Sea the countries are still making their way on the
complex path of transition and strategic choice. Ukraine has been the country where
the dilemmas are more visible. It has been torn between West and East, between reform
and status quo and the dramatic turns after the Orange Revolution demonstrate the
difficulty of making a choice.
17 Information available at http://www.mde.es/./contenido.jsp?id_nodo=4066&&&keyword =&auditoria=F.
48 UNFOLDING THE BLACK SEA ECONOMIC COOPERATION VIEWS FROM THE REGION