"The sustainable development of the Black Sea region and the maintenance and preservation of the Black Sea ecosystem is among the leading priorities of state policy. Measures to support this policy aim to ensure the sustainable use of the sea and marine resources so that we have a healthy environment for economic development and growth of the Black Sea region." This was stated by the Deputy Minister of Environment and Water Reneta Koleva at the opening of a roundtable "Life under water" held at the Ministry of Environment and Water.

The event was organized within the framework of the preparation of the Second Voluntary National Review on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) under the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in Bulgaria. Preparations started in March 2024 and the results will be presented at the UN High Level Political Forum in July 2025.

The roundtable reviewed the implementation of Goal 14 "Protection and sustainable use of oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development" and discussed future actions and solutions to address the challenges under this goal.

Representatives of the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, the Ministry of Transport and Communications, the Institute of Oceanology, the Council of Ministers, the Black Sea Basin Directorate, the Regional Inspectorate for Environmental Protection - Varna, the Regional Inspectorate for Environmental Protection - Burgas and the National Hunting and Fishing Association "Union of Hunters and Fishermen in Bulgaria" participated in the meeting.

In the First Voluntary Review under Goal 14, submitted by our country in 2020, two main challenges for Bulgaria were identified, namely pollution in the Black Sea and the overdevelopment of the coastline.

A presentation of the country's progress in overcoming these challenges was delivered by Silvia Rangelova, Director of the Directorate for Coordination of EU and International Cooperation at the Ministry of Environment and Water. She presented the legislative and strategic framework for priority actions, implemented projects and measures taken to achieve the goal.

The participants in the roundtable agreed that the process of preparation of the Voluntary National Review should be as inclusive as possible for society in its entirety and the government, thus mobilizing resources and energy to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals in Bulgaria in line with the guiding principle "No one left behind".

The Voluntary National Reviews promote the sharing of good practices, policy dialogue, resource mobilization and integration of the SDGs into national development policies, thereby contributing to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development "Transforming the World", adopted in September 2015 by the UN General Assembly, which encompasses 17 SDGs and 169 sub-goals. The MOEW is Bulgaria's lead institution for Goal 13 "Urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts" and Goal 14 "Protection and sustainable use of oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development".