The Wider Black Sea Area and its Challenges
The wider Black Sea area is in flux and at the centre of increased international interest. This momentum is due to several factors which when considered as a whole reflect an enhanced role for the region in international relations. What are these factors? --A spate of anniversaries reflecting the existence of regional cooperation in the region --The enhanced interest of the European Union linked to its emerging role as a foreign policy actor on the global arena --The region’s importance as a key transit region for energy supplies --The region’s geopolitical location and its transregional dimension --Russia’s priorities and approach --The necessity to assure that all the aforementioned factors contribute to rather than disrupt the area’s potential. Anniversaries galore The wider Black Sea area has bucked the trend toward regionalism that emerged in the Post Cold War era leading to the creation of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) in June 1992. A regional initiative of eleven a