Ursula von der Leyen: "Freedom of navigation in the Black Sea must be restored and maintained”

Ships must be able to sail freely in the Black Sea, and it is the responsibility of the European Union, NATO and the international community as a whole to ensure that freedom of navigation in the region is restored and maintained, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said yesterday at Cotroceni Palace after meeting with Romanian President Nicuşor Dan. She announced that Romania would receive euro10 million for search and rescue operations in the Black Sea, in addition to the euro50 million earmarked to bring the security hub being developed with Bulgaria into operation.

The measures follow drone attacks on merchant vessels that, according to the Commission president, left seafarers dead or missing.

"Romania is on the front line of European security and helps protect our airspace, our borders and the Black Sea, making it a vital partner for EU and NATO member states,” Ursula von der Leyen said. "I saw this firsthand last year when I visited the naval port of Constanţa, and the security challenges have grown since then. The skies over the Black Sea have darkened in recent weeks as drone attacks have targeted merchant vessels offshore, with innocent seafarers losing their lives or going missing at sea. My thoughts are with their families, and Europe stands in full solidarity with Romania. That is why I say to you that [...] freedom of navigation in the Black Sea must be maintained and restored. The Black Sea is a vital trade route for the European economy and global food security, keeping supplies flowing to millions of people who depend on them, most of them in Africa. No one wants peace more than the Ukrainian people. We support them and reiterate our call for a ceasefire in the Black Sea. [...] That is why we have decided to step up surveillance in the Black Sea, including by providing Copernicus satellite imagery as immediate support from Europe. We are also strengthening security in the information space. Hostile actors use the information space as a weapon, and the drone incidents are compounded by foreign information manipulation and interference. These efforts target our citizens and our democracies, sowing fear and uncertainty. [...] We are also strengthening our defence capabilities. Europe is investing heavily in readiness. I welcome Romania's participation in defence projects of common interest and in the SAFE joint procurement programme, through which you will receive more than euro16 billion. The joint drone production initiative with Ukraine is an example of cooperation that strengthens Ukraine's defence as well as Romania's security and economy. We have launched a second SAFE call worth more than euro2 million, and I encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity. I am taking this opportunity to announce funding for the Black Sea. We will also work with Romania and Bulgaria to speed up efforts to bring the energy security hub into operation, for which euro50 million has been allocated.”

President Nicuşor Dan explained that the hub was a project launched by Bucharest and Sofia that the European Union had incorporated into its defence strategy for the entire region.

"We have had numerous incidents in the Black Sea recently, including drone incursions, acts of sabotage, cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns,” Nicuşor Dan said. "Taken together, these actions span the full spectrum of hybrid warfare. Russia is using them to try to escalate the conflict it started in Ukraine five years ago and draw European countries into it. I spoke with President von der Leyen about securing a strong European commitment to the Black Sea region. The most concrete and important step is the Black Sea security hub. Romania and Bulgaria first proposed it several years ago. It has since become part of a European strategy, and now it needs to be established in Romania and Bulgaria with the help of the European Union.”

Asked what the Romanian authorities could do more quickly to protect shipping and the country's commercial interests, the president replied, "We may not always have moved as quickly as Romanians expected, but we have been consistent and have recognised the importance of the Black Sea. Before these security incidents, Romania had already promoted the Black Sea strategy and included the equipment needed to protect its coastline in the SAFE programme. Our EU and NATO partners have shown strong solidarity in very practical ways. Through the security hub and our partners' support in securing equipment, we are addressing specific defence and security needs in the Black Sea.”

Nicuşor Dan also highlighted the region's importance for energy, from offshore extraction projects in the Black Sea to links with the Caspian region. "When it comes to the conflict in Ukraine and the country's reconstruction, we cannot talk about a lasting peace or an effective way to rebuild Ukraine without a secure Black Sea,” the president said.

The two officials also discussed the EU's long-term budget for 2028-2034 and the path of the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine towards EU membership, according to President Nicuşor Dan.

From Cotroceni Palace, the European Commission president went to Victoria Palace, where she met with Prime Minister Luca Niculescu.

George Simion, leader of AUR, the main opposition party in parliament, condemned Ursula von der Leyen's visit to Romania. In a video posted yesterday on his official Facebook page, Simion attacked the European Commission president. "I have a message for Ursula, who came to Bucharest today to give orders to her subjects. Here, outside the Romanian Parliament, whether you give them permission or not, Romanians will turn out in their thousands on Saturday. They are nobody's lackeys, and certainly not yours. We're outside the Romanian Parliament, and Ursula von der Leyen, Guy Verhofstadt and the others who are coming to lecture us on democracy need to hear one thing. You locked up the man who won the presidential election because your whole globalist racket was going to hell. You can't use totalitarian measures to subjugate the majority of Romanians.”

He accused European leaders of involvement in the annulment of the 2024 presidential election and in the case against Călin Georgescu. Georgescu had finished first in the opening round, and the Constitutional Court annulled the election before the runoff.

Simion said the AUR rally would go ahead at 1 p.m. on Saturday, 14 November, outside Parliament, after Bucharest City Hall rejected the permit application. He ended his message by saying, "Europe doesn't belong to you. Ursula, Guy and the others have to go. Bye.”

Ursula von der Leyen's visit to Bucharest came ahead of the informal European Council meeting scheduled for Friday, 13 November, in Dublin. According to the invitation letter sent by Antonio Costa, the leaders of the 27 EU member states will discuss artificial intelligence. Mistral AI chief executive Arthur Mensch will join a discussion on reducing Europe's technological dependencies, investment and the use of AI in industry. The leaders will also discuss with Nobel Prize in Physics laureate Geoffrey Hinton the risks AI poses to fundamental rights, child safety, democratic processes and cybersecurity.