Initiatives on the Black Sea Security
The European Union and the United States recognize the strategic importance of the Black Sea region through a series of initiatives aimed at monitoring and strengthening security in this part of the world.
Sorin Iordan, 29.05.2025, 13:50
The European Commission has presented a strategy aimed at improving security, cooperation and connectivity with the Black Sea region, which has been affected in recent years by the consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Brussels proposes the establishment of a Black Sea security center aimed at strengthening cooperation with Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Georgia, Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan and at monitoring more closely this region that it considers important from a strategic point of view. The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, announced that the new center, whose headquarters have not yet been established, will serve as a European early warning system in the Black Sea and will allow for better protection of submarine cables, wind installations and natural gas extraction operations, some of the most important belonging to Romania itself. The EU foreign policy chief explained that the platform will also contribute to increasing military mobility, by modernizing the region’s ports, railways, roads and airports to manage heavy military equipment.
The European Union also wants to know better who the foreign owners of ports and key installations are and to combat cyberattacks, disinformation and other hostile actions more effectively, given that the Black Sea region is the main target of hybrid actions, Kallas said. This area of the world is also proving its importance for the United States of America. On Wednesday, the Romanian Economy Minister, Bogdan Ivan, announced that Romania and the US would strengthen their production capacities in the field of defense. The Romanian official signed two documents through which the Romanians and the Americans will jointly produce NATO-standard artillery ammunition and ammunition for the American Abrams tanks. They are also considering establishing a European Center of Excellence for NATO Ammunition in Romania with the aim of transforming Bucharest into a key actor in the field of defense and regional security. Ivan said that the operationalization of this center will strengthen Romania’s position as a security pillar and provider of strategic capabilities in the region. ‘Based on this economic and military partnership with the United States, we will be able to develop both production and testing, homologation and qualification capabilities,” the minister emphasized.
In turn, the US Chargé d’Affaires in Bucharest, Michael Dickerson, has stated that these projects contribute to strengthening the bilateral strategic partnership and securing supply chains, both for NATO, the United States and Romania, and provide greater security for America and its allies. The projects are supported by a 920-million-dollar foreign military financing loan granted to Romania by the US Department of State in September 2024. (LS)
