EU hails Black Sea cooperation, urges hub operationalization

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Monday welcomed closer maritime cooperation between Romania, Bulgaria and Türkiye, calling for urgent steps to operationalize the Black Sea Maritime Security Hub as drone attacks against commercial vessels continue to threaten regional stability and global food security.

Maritime Threats and Security Response

Speaking alongside Romanian President Nicusor Dan in Bucharest, von der Leyen stressed that the EU must adopt an "urgency mindset" in addressing defense and security challenges along its borders. "The skies over the Black Sea have darkened, particularly in recent weeks, with drone attacks targeting commercial ships off your coasts, innocent sailors having lost their lives, others are still missing at sea," she said. Von der Leyen highlighted the critical importance of restoring freedom of navigation for Europe, Ukraine's economy and global food supply chains, noting that the bloc must strengthen maritime surveillance capabilities to counter evolving threats.

The Commission president warned that hostile actors are actively weaponizing the information space to undermine democratic stability. "Hostile actors are weaponizing the information space, and drone incidents are often doubled by foreign information manipulation and interference," she stated. "They target relentlessly our citizens and democracies, sowing fear, spreading uncertainty." Von der Leyen announced an additional €10 million in funding to Romanian authorities specifically for search and rescue operations, saying the support would enhance their capacity to respond to maritime incidents rapidly and effectively.

Ukraine Peace Negotiations

Turning to the upcoming US-mediated peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday in Abu Dhabi, von der Leyen reaffirmed European support for Kyiv at the request of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. "The focus of these peace talks is ending Russia's war in Ukraine. That must be the goal," she emphasized. Von der Leyen added that the EU is developing a comprehensive post-war prosperity plan to support Ukraine's stability and reconstruction, though she stressed that any meaningful discussions regarding Europe's security architecture can only proceed once a ceasefire has been achieved and must include NATO allies and EU members. Moscow has maintained that the negotiations should remain strictly trilateral, involving only Russia, Ukraine and the United States without direct European participation.