EU pledges 50 million euros for Black Sea maritime security hub

The European Union has announced 50 million euros in funding to establish a joint maritime security hub in Romania and Bulgaria, according to Euronews, SeeNews, and Informat.ro. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated that the European Union stands in full solidarity with Romania and emphasised the importance of Black Sea security for the eastern flank of Europe. [1][8][10]

The security hub will be developed in the coastal cities of Constanța and Varna, Euronews reported. In addition to the joint hub, von der Leyen announced an additional 10 million euros for search and rescue operations in Romania, according to Agerpres and Informat.ro. [1][9][10]

The funding follows statements by Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev accusing Romania of being indirectly responsible for attacks on commercial vessels in the Black Sea, Euronews reported. Radev stated that Bucharest had blamed Russia for the incidents without providing supporting evidence. [1]

Russia claimed to have hit power substations in Ukraine and three vessels in the Black Sea, according to The Economic Times. The Hindu and MarketScreener both reported that Russian state agencies said power stations in Ukraine and a vessel in the Black Sea were struck. As FTMQ News reported earlier, a Liberian-flagged tanker sank off the Bulgarian coast in late October after being struck by three sea drones. [2][3][4][16]