Environmental Protection by the Black Sea Commission: Organisation and Performance in Comparison with the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission (HELCOM)

Since the 1970s, the Black Sea has been suffering a severe pollution from excessive input of nutrients and chemicals. To improve the situation, the Convention on the Protection of the Black Sea Against Pollution (Bucharest Convention) was signed in 1992 and the Black Sea Commission (BSC) was established.

Environmental protection by the Black Sea Commission: Organisation and performance in comparison with the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission (HELCOM) provides a comprehensive up-to-date analysis of the BSC’s role as a regional actor in the environmental protection of the Black Sea, addressing the following main questions: What are the main (institutional and regulatory) challenges and obstacles for the effective functioning of the BSC and how can they be overcome? What is the current and future role of the BSC as a regional player for the protection of the Black Sea? What possibilities and potential does the BSC have to promote the harmonization of national legal frameworks in relevant areas? The research is based on a comparative analysis with Helsinki Commission (HELCOM) which has been a renowned environmental protection actor in the Baltic Sea region for more than 40 years.