The European Union should invest in developing modern transport, energy and communications infrastructure in the Black Sea region, Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov told an economic forum in Istanbul on Monday.
The EU could do so by allocating funds under its regional development programmes, for which both Bulgaria and Romania are eligible following their accession to the bloc in January, he went on to say.
Parvanov and leaders from another 11 countries in the region met on Monday for the 15th anniversary summit of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) pact.
Lack of funding is the main obstacle preventing the organisation from pursuing its goals more aggressively.