€1.5 million European project targets eutrophication in Black Sea basin

A €1.5 million European project led by Greece's Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace has officially begun, bringing together institutions from five countries to tackle eutrophication and protect aquatic ecosystems across the Black Sea basin.

“Applying innovative cooperative solutions for improving the environmental status of eutrophic and anoxic aquatic ecosystems within regions of the Black Sea Basin” — officially launched with an opening meeting and the first session of its Steering Committee at the headquarters of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace in Selanik.

The Greek authority is the project's lead partner. The initiative is co-financed at 90% by the European Union under the second call of the Interreg NEXT Black Sea Basin 2021–2027 programme.

The project will run for 30 months, with a total budget of €1.5 million.

Tackling eutrophication through innovation
The central objective of ECOSOLVE4BlackSea is to reduce eutrophication and its impact on aquatic ecosystems in the Black Sea basin through innovative and cooperative measures.

A comprehensive digital solution will be developed to support the management and mitigation of eutrophication, with the aim of improving water quality.

The project will also introduce electronic green public procurement for fertilizers and related products and services that can affect groundwater quality. Particular emphasis will be placed on reducing pollution originating from agricultural activity.

Digital platform and early warning system
The project is structured around six main areas of action, including an integrated approach to eutrophication management and the creation of a unified digital platform, early-warning system and monitoring mechanism.

Pilot restoration activities are planned in Greece, Bulgaria and Romania. Cross-border “living laboratories” will also bring together farmers, local irrigation organizations, municipalities, businesses and water-management authorities.

Another component will be a central knowledge and solutions database containing best practices, ecological fertilizers and pollution-control technologies.

Five countries join forces
Under the coordination of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace, regional authorities, research institutions and universities from Greece, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Georgia and Romania are participating in the project.

The partners include the Ukrainian Scientific Center of Marine Ecology, the Institute of Oceanology of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Shota Rustaveli State University of Batumi, the Hellenic Agricultural Organization–DEMETER through the Institute of Soil and Water Resources, and Romania's National Institute for Research and Development of the Danube Delta.

From land to sea
ECOSOLVE4BlackSea follows a “land-to-sea” approach, linking sustainable agricultural practices and innovative organic fertilizers with the protection of groundwater and surface water.

The project will also use advanced satellite-image processing algorithms to monitor chlorophyll-a levels. The goal is to identify and predict critical eutrophication events before they spread into vulnerable aquatic ecosystems.

The planned measures are expected to generate long-term benefits for citizens, farmers, fishermen and local economies, while contributing to the objectives of the European Green Deal and the EU's biodiversity strategy.

Officials warn of growing water challenges
Dimitris Galamatis, Secretary of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace, participated in the two-day launch and emphasized the importance of cross-border cooperation to protect water resources as the effects of the climate crisis intensify.

He noted that challenges involving drinking and irrigation water, bathing waters and marine ecosystems require immediate and coordinated responses.

Galamatis specifically highlighted eutrophication as a challenge affecting the entire Black Sea basin, pointing to the impacts already recorded in the Thermaic Gulf as an example.

“We are unfortunately not at five minutes to midnight. We are already five minutes past midnight,” Galamatis said, stressing that close cooperation between the scientific community, public administration and other stakeholders will be crucial.

The project aims to deliver tangible results within its 30-month implementation period, creating practical tools and cross-border solutions for the long-term protection of water ecosystems across the Black Sea basin.