transportation of merchants, soldiers, artists, travelers and goods, also promoted ideas, ethics and culture and
pervaded the form of the whole region.
Throughout history the Black Sea functions as crossroads and a great variety of commodities have travelled
through it into Europe, Central Asia and Middle East. The port-cities located on the Black Sea coast developed and
reconstructed through a number of Wars, political changes and the economic and political transition of the Black
Sea area. The area’s stability and prosperity have been threatened due to various facts and the geopolitical issues
arisen were many. New opportunities appear, though, and the region enjoys a number of advantages comparatively
to the rest of the world. The tools for dealing with the challenges of energy security, regional cooperation, the
economic crisis, region building and sustainable development do exist. What lacks is the proper political
environment and support.
What is important for the Black Sea region is the “image”. In the present exists no “regional image”. The
Black Sea area is never presented as a whole, but as “different territories belonging to different countries”. To that
venture could help the academics, the journalists the cultural institutions, and once an “international community” is
created peace and stability would dominate inside the region and the interest of outside world would be attracted
Prevelakis (2008).
It seems that the communities of the Black Sea region have things in common; however their economies
are drifting apart. In order for the region to be a dynamic entity creative collaboration among the countries is
required and common prosperity should be promoted. The areas of collaboration in which countries may be
interested in are the ones that they have a comparative advantage or the ones they wish to develop Gavras (2010).
Those areas include energy, transport, finance, telecommunications and environment. Gains among the region’s
economies are essential in order for trade inside the Black Sea region to be promoted. Measures such as activities to
facilitate trade, elimination of dual taxation, agreements for investments could work as gains between the
economies. Furthermore the appropriate staff and officials and the dialogue regarding each countries interests,
priorities and needs should be identified.
Last but not least, the existence of cross-national institutions that promote the goal of regionalism,
cooperation and common prosperity in the area7 provides an era for scheduling and realising the needed policies.
Yet, due to cases of overlapping agendas and the lack of collaborations among them with multiplicative benefits,
there is a necessity for co-ordinating the activities of those institutions.
Above all, there is a need for a vision, a new “Charta” Woodhouse (1995). A noble cause, likewise to the
masterpiece of Rigas Velestinlis, that will move the revolutionary potential of our time, regionally or even globally.
Today, in the time where the “suspended step” of monetary unification in the European Union and the asymmetrical
financial integration worldwide generate severe imbalances, there is a cry for democratization and socio-political
integration too. Even if this mean that we should return to regional socioeconomic and political associations, on the
basis of existing cultural, economic and historical bonds, like those around the Black Sea.