EU pledges €50 million for Black Sea maritime security in Romania and Bulgaria

The President of the European Commission emphasized the importance of Black Sea security for the eastern flank and announced additional funding for Romania and for an upcoming maritime security hub. I want to express Europe's full solidarity with Romania. We stand with you so you can count on a strong and united European response. This includes satellite imagery provided by Copernicus. And this is an immediate added value that Europe can provide here for the region as of immediately. We will now fast track the work on the Black Sea Maritime Security Hub with a clear timeline for completion and dedicated funding of 50 million euros. The Security Hub could become operational in the first half of next year according to Euronews. This security hub has three major directions. On the one hand, we are discussing the protection of critical infrastructures. On the other hand, we are discussing the exchange of information between the two countries and the support of trade. After meeting the president of the European Commission, Romania's president emphasized that the Black Sea is a key hub for global trade and for Europe's energy security. Security in the region is also vital for Ukraine. If we talk about the conflict in Ukraine and the reconstruction of Ukraine, we cannot talk We can't talk about a stable peace in Ukraine, we can't talk about... ...efficient way to rebuild Ukraine without a safe Black Sea. We've had numerous incidents at the Black Sea in the recent period, a third spectrum of hybrid war in which, obviously, Russia is trying to escalate the conflict that started five years ago in Ukraine The European funding comes after Bulgaria's prime minister accused Romania of being indirectly responsible for the attacks on commercial ships in the Black Sea. Rumen Radev said that Bucharest had pointed the finger at Russia without any evidence. It follows condemnations by the European Parliament of attacks on civilian ships in the Black Sea in a resolution holding Russia responsible. This year alone, more than 570 security incidents have occurred in the Black Sea, and at least 40 sailors have lost their lives, according to a report cited by the Financial Times.