site.btaBulgaria Ready to Join New European Ocean Observation Initiative, Education Minister Says

Education and Science Minister Georgi Valchev said here Friday that Bulgaria is ready to join the new European ocean observation initiative and become an equal partner in building a common system for scientific research and data exchange. He made the statement during a meeting with Charlina Vitcheva, Director-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries at the European Commission, the ministry's information service said.

Vitcheva presented the European Commission's vision for closer European cooperation in ocean science and marine environment observation, an area expected to gain increasing importance in the coming years.

"No country, no matter how powerful, can tackle such global challenges on its own. This can only be achieved by pooling scientific capacity, potential and infrastructure," Valchev said.

He noted that Bulgaria has made significant progress in polar research in recent years.

"We have succeeded in bringing together the efforts of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia University, the Naval Academy in Varna and a number of other institutions, and today we are sought-after partners not only by European countries, but by countries around the world," the minister said.

Valchev also highlighted that the Bulgarian research vessel Sv. Sv. Kiril i Metodii (RSV 421) enables Bulgaria to collect valuable scientific data not only from the Black Sea, but also from the Mediterranean Sea, the Atlantic Ocean and Antarctica.

For her part, Vitcheva said that scientific research and knowledge are among the main pillars of the future European Ocean Pact and that establishing a common system for observation and data exchange is key both to protecting the marine environment and to Europe's sustainable development and competitiveness.