EU аllocates €10 mln to Bulgaria for rescue operations in the Black Sea

“The Black Sea is an external border of the EU, and Bulgaria guards it just as it does all its land borders. We welcome the EU’s idea of establishing a maritime security centre.”

Prime Minister Rumen Radev made the statement at a briefing with journalists in Varna following his meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, BTA reported.

Von der Leyen visits Bulgaria amid rising Black Sea threats

The main focus of the talks in Varna was the changing security environment in the Black Sea region and the growing number of attacks on commercial vessels. Radev described such attacks as absolutely unacceptable: “Seafarers are not parties to an armed conflict, and commercial vessels must not be targeted.”

He said that putting an end to these violations of maritime and international law required the achievement of peace, which in turn called for a ceasefire and active diplomacy.

The EU is allocating €10 million to Bulgaria for search and rescue operations in the Black Sea, Ursula von der Leyen announced. “I have arrived with one clear message: Europe stands by Bulgaria in these difficult times, because the security of the Black Sea is Europe’s security,” von der Leyen stressed.

Ships in Black Sea switch off transponders to avoid drone attacks

Edited by Ivo Ivanov