Black Sea attacks: EU should consider a naval operation in the region, says Parliament

Following the latest deadly attacks on civilian merchant ships, Parliament is asking the EU to consider deploying a naval operation in the Black Sea. Strongly condemning the most recent attacks that caused casualties off the coasts of Bulgaria and Romania, as well as the repeated violations of Romanian airspace, Parliament holds Russia responsible for attacking civilian vessels and for escalating its war of aggression against Ukraine in the western Black Sea. The resolution, adopted on Thursday with 432 votes in favour, 52 against and 88 abstentions, stresses that these attacks form a clear pattern of Russian escalation in which Moscow has systematically targeted civilian shipping. Russia is the main driver of the deteriorating situation in the Black Sea region, the text says. Welcoming the rapid efforts of the maritime rescue services of Romania and Bulgaria, the border police and nearby merchant ships to assist the attacked vessels, MEPs also voice concern about the Bulgarian government's ambiguous handling of the Russian threat. They regret Sofia's weak diplomatic response towards Russia and call on Bulgaria's Prime Minister, Rumen Radev, to "match calls for allied solidarity with concrete action". MEPs urge Bulgaria to stop delaying its participation in NATO's anti-drone initiative on "air defence capabilities against low-level air threats". The EU should consider a naval operation in the Black Sea After the latest deadly attacks, MEPs say the EU and its Member States should consider deploying an EU naval operation in the Black Sea, stressing that freedom of navigation and maritime security are part of securing NATO's eastern flank, the Black Sea region and the Danube Delta. They call on NATO to consider a Black Sea initiative, building on existing discussions about a possible "Black Sea sentry", and stress the importance of closer regional cooperation between Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey. More EU support for Romania and Bulgaria The text also invites EU countries, in cooperation with NATO, to support Bulgaria and Romania in the early detection and tracking of hostile drones that threaten shipping in the Black Sea, and calls on the EU to quickly operationalise its Black Sea maritime security hub initiative, which aims to help strengthen maritime safety and security and protect critical maritime infrastructure and the marine environment. MEPs ask that unspent EU funds in the so-called SAFE instrument be used to help Romania and Bulgaria deal with these challenges, while stressing that the EU's future long-term budget must respond to a wide range of security and defence needs, including in the Black Sea region. In addition, MEPs want the EU and its Member States to strengthen the protection and resilience of ongoing undersea projects in telecommunications, electricity transport and data cables, through stronger maritime surveillance, regional cooperation and rapid response mechanisms.