European Science Diplomacy Roundtable “The impact of the war in Ukraine on the environment in the Black Sea Region”

“The impact of the war in Ukraine on the environment in the Black Sea Region” European Science Diplomacy Roundtable was held in Chisinau, Republic of Moldova, on May 25, 2023. The event was designed as a contribution to the evolving framework for European Science Diplomacy, which aims at developing an EU approach to science diplomacy, against the background of a rapidly changing geopolitical and scientific-technological environment. Among the EU’s foreign policy goals is to achieve stability in the Black Sea region, which is currently being severely impacted by Russia's attacks on Ukraine. The Roundtable was co-organized by the European Commission Directorate General for Research and Innovation and hosted by Mr. Anatolie Topala, Minister of Education and Research of the Republic of Moldova.

The Roundtable's main objectives were to identify the main effects of the war in  Ukraine on the soil, water, and air in the Black Sea region, make suggestions for solutions to mitigate these effects, improve trans-border collaboration, build capacity, and connect researchers from the area in preparation for their participation in thematic Horizon Europe calls. The Roundtable’s main take away specifically concentrated on the goal of using science diplomacy to achieve development and prosperity in a relationship of mutual benefits, based on equality, while simultaneously creating the necessary conditions for the EU to project soft power and pursue the economic interests and values more effectively, satisfying demand and interest from partner countries.

Nearly 40 participants attended the event, including researchers from Moldova, Ukraine, Georgia, Romania, and Bulgaria as well as the European Commission.

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International cooperation with Moldova