Constanta Maritime University, together with Varna Business Agency, develops the project Green Energy Cluster “Constanta-Dobrich”, MIS-ETC code 328. The project is co-financed by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund, Romania-Bulgaria Cross Border Cooperation Programme 2007-2013.

Within the project the two partner institutions shall set up the Cross Border Green Energy Cluster “Constanta-Dobrich”, in compliance with the norms and procedures from both countries. The cluster will be registered in Bulgaria and it will have a centre in Constanta.

In September 2015 the institutions which, at an earlier stage, have answered positively to our invitation to join the Green Energy Cluster “Constanta-Dobrich” have gathered in Albena, Bulgaria, in order to draft and endorse a common roadmap, meant to ensure a better and wiser exploitation of renewable energy sources in the cross border region. Mention must be made that the roadmap is the result of direct involvement of the representatives of various types of institutions (academia, business sector, NGOs and local authorities) from both regions. The document was generated by discussions on the available information and the concrete reality identified in the border area.

In drafting the common roadmap, participants had in view a series of key aspects necessary for the achievement of the main objective of the Cross Border Green Energy Cluster “Constanta-Dobrich”, namely: identification of existing advantages and resources in the region that should be primarily protected and exploited; pointing out the necessary changes in order to achieve the planned objectives; recommendation of legislative changes that will ensure the region’s sustainable development; identification of the specific mechanisms that could promote and foster the desired changes; the role played by local communities in implementing the said changes and ways to motivate them in this respect. At the same time, a special attention has been paid to the implications and impact that the desired changes might exert in the cross border area, to the ratio of expected risks and benefits, as well as to real-life possibilities to implement the resulted activity plan.

Thus, the common roadmap is the result of a group activity and is structured on three distinct levels: short-term measures – throughout 2016, medium-term measures – during 2016-2018 and long-term measures – during 2018-2020. Furthermore, the working group involved in drafting the common roadmap has already envisaged the periodic evaluation and endorsement methods until 2020.