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At all times the Black Sea Region has played an important role in the life of the Eurasian people; it was on the shores of the Black Sea that great empires flourished and disappeared. Today, it is the source of the worst threats of the 21st century that still linger in the larger part of the post-Soviet expanse; it is also a seat of "frozen conflicts" largely associated with instability in the Greater Middle East. The present political and ideological contradictions in the region interfere with the eastward progress of liberal and democratic values. Despite all sorts of external and internal threats, the Greater Black Sea Region (a triangle formed by Russia, Europe, and the Islamic world) so far remains a relatively calm area, most of the states of which are distinguished by a European foreign policy vector. When looking at part of the Black Sea Region and the Caucasus (together with Central and part of South Asia) as a geopolitical segment of the Persian Gulf states and the Middle East, Brzezinski called it the "Eurasian Balkans" and believed that the term "power vacuum" described the situation to a tee. The Black Sea Region and its unique natural and man-made strategic facilities occupy a highly advantageous geopolitical place on the globe. The Crimean Peninsula, which in the late 1980s and early 1990s was a target of fierce contention, should be mentioned in particular. The region's geopolitical potential and the dynamics of global evolution have turned it into a subject for scientific scrutiny, largely prompted by the novelty of the problems created by the processes unfolding before our eyes. The region's specifics and importance have made it a regional and global phenomenon, three aspects of which can be described as especially interesting: I. The regional and global changes in the Black Sea Region in the post-bipolar world. II. The new geopolitical landscape of the Greater Black Sea Region. III. Clash of civilizations in the context of the global evolutionary confrontation.

Prof. Kornely Kakachia, Director of the Georgian Institute of Politics, co-edited a book titled "Security Dynamics in the Black Sea Region Geopolitical Shifts and Regional Orders

Prof. Kornely Kakachia, Director of the Georgian Institute of Politics, co-edited a book titled "Security Dynamics in the Black Sea Region Geopolitical Shifts and Regional Orders

The present paper discusses the strategic importance that the Caspian Basin hydrocarbons (especially natural gas) have to the EU's energy security, against the background of EU's increasing dependence on gas imports from the Russian Federation. The political engagement of various political actors of the EU (the European Commission, but also Member States and international energy majors) is analyzed with respect to the advancement of the competing transport projects transiting the Wider Black Sea Region. While discussing the dimensions of EU's energy policy, the paper focuses on the energy security contribution that the Southern Gas Corridor is expected to make, as well as on the systemic constraints and opportunities brought by Brussels' new energy policy initiatives. Special attention is given to the recent articulation of a unitary and coherent energy diplomacy approach by the European Commission, and the proposal of a major investment plan in energy infrastructure. However, the paper argues that too little, too late may have been undertaken in order to turn EU's Southern Corridor into a robust and credible diversification alternative to the Russian-owned or controlled gas transport lines.

This article examines two fields of geopolitical competition in the Black Sea region, in which an increasing EU involvement is increasingly challenging Russian interests. First, the EU's effort to diversify its energy sources through new transportation routes is meeting competition in the form of Russian-sponsored projects. The EU has realized the partial incompatibility of Russian and EU interests in this regard; however, the lack of cohesion within the EU prevents the formation of common external energy policies. Second, the EU is increasingly recognizing its interest in engaging with conflict resolution in the region. This also runs contrary to Russian strategy, which strives to maintain the status quo in the conflicts rather than working for solutions, in order to maintain Russian leverage over the South Caucasus and Moldova. In this field, the EU has yet to officially recognize its interest conflict with Russia. However, due to the intertwinement of the conflict resolution processes with the EU's deeper policy goals in the Black Sea region, namely the promotion of a stable, secure and democratic European neighborhood, the EU will likely find it increasingly difficult to pursue its key interests in the region, while simultaneously maintaining a passive stance towards Russian policies in the region.

Some issues of intragenerational and intergenerational equity and measurement of sustainable development -- Regional planning and economic sustainability issues of municipal SWM — experience from Greece relevant to the Black Sea countries -- Solid waste management in developing countries — a case study of Turkey -- Solid waste priority projects for the sustainable development of south-east Bulgaria -- Sustainable solid waste management in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia — a NATO initiative -- The National Waste Management Programme of Bulgaria -- The sustainable landfill bioreactor — a flexible approach to solid waste management -- Materials recycling — strategic management and conditions for economic viability -- Municipal investment strategies and national policies in the process of accession to the European Union — impressions from Bulgaria -- Monitoring of waste in Bulgaria for sustainable waste management -- Thiourea leaching ofgold-bearing mine waste from the Madjarovo processing plant in the south east of Bulgaria -- A pilot-scale passive system for the treatment of acid mine drainage -- Treatment of solid waste generated from the manufacture of polyacrylonitrile fibre -- Sustainable solid waste management in Turkey -- Solid waste management on the Black Sea coast of Turkey -- Separation, collection and transportation of municipal solid waste — a case Study in Turkey -- Solid waste management efforts in Turkey — regional solid waste management In Adana-Mersin -- A sustainable solid waste management scheme for the eoastal zone of Antalya, Turkey -- On the statist ical probabilistic modelling ofthe diffusion of fine solid materials -- Urban waste management in Romania — a case study in Iasi City -- Problems and prospects of sustainable solid waste management in Romania -- On the management of solid waste generated at the Constanza Shipyard, Romania -- Importance of waste bio-mass from household, agricultural and industrial waste for A sustainable farming system -- Prospects for sustainable waste management in Georgia -- Treatment of solid waste in the Municipality ofNew Orestiada, Greece -- High humidity domestic solid waste pyrolysis with a pre-drying system -- Name index.

Black Sea Region. The transition to the market economy in the agricultural sector of Romania, Bulgaria and Serbia reinforces the need for the development of market mechanisms that would allow agricultural producers, production planning, marketing, and hedging. In the early 21st century an attempt was made with the support of USAID to establish a wheat futures market for the countries of the Black Sea Region. The project was unsuccessful. The reasons lie primarily in the attempt to simultaneously involve a large number of countries that had: (1) different standards of wheat quality, (2) different and incompatible payment systems between countries, (3) customs barriers between countries, and so on. The proposal now is to precede with the establishment of futures markets in Serbia, Romania and Bulgaria, which have liberalized markets between themselves, and established a common legal EU' framework related to the commodity derivatives market. After a successful introduction of the futures market for these three countries, other countries in the Black Sea Region can individually join the already formed system. A large volume of wheat futures trading is expected on the Black Sea futures market, littoral for two reasons. Firstly, a significant part of global trade in wheat is contracted for delivery to Black Sea ports. Secondly, the volatility of wheat prices has been notable in recent years, strengthening the need for the use of futures to insure wheat prices in the future. Romanian and Bulgarian membership in the World Trade Organization and the European Union, together with Serbian candidate status in both organisations guarantees that the market between those countries will remain liberalized. EU directives on investment protection schemes and a common derivatives market enforced for all EU countries will positively influence the grain futures market for the Black Sea Region.

Offering theoretical insights on region building, this book explores the attempts to formulate a political and institutional vision for the Black Sea region in the post-9/11 era and in the context of the enlargements of the EU and NATO. It investigates in depth these attempts, viewed as a failure by the key actors involved, in order to understand how regions emerge in international politics as well as how and why they may fail to come into being. To this end, the book explores a range of factors that impacted region building in the Black Sea, considering the role of region builders involved, their practices and the context of their actions, and the spatial representations and security discourses that were integral to the region building process. Hence, attention is paid to how these factors both enabled and constrained the discursive construction of the Black Sea region, thus identifying the elements that distinguish the Black Sea from other successful cases of region building. Based on critical approaches towards international relations and political geography, this book both expands and deepens the scope and understanding of regions and will thus appeal to academics and students in the fields of International Relations, Security Studies, Political Geography, and Regional Integration.