The European Parliament called on the EU to strengthen the protection of merchant shipping in the Black Sea

The European Parliament has called on the EU to consider deploying a naval operation in the Black Sea following recent attacks on civilian vessels off Romania and Bulgaria.

According to a resolution adopted by the European Parliament on 22 October.

MEPs condemned the latest attacks on shipping and blamed Russia for them. The resolution states that the attacks are part of a systematic escalation by the Russian Federation against civilian shipping in the western Black Sea.

Against this background, the European Parliament has called on the EU and its member states to consider deploying a naval operation in the region. MEPs stressed that freedom of navigation and maritime security are directly linked to the protection of NATO’s eastern flank, the Black Sea and the Danube Delta.

 Separately, the European Parliament called on NATO to consider a separate Black Sea initiative based on discussions on a possible Black Sea Sentry format, as well as to strengthen cooperation between Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey.

 The EU and NATO also offer to provide Romania and Bulgaria with more assistance for the early detection and tracking of enemy drones that pose a threat to merchant ships.

Earlier, USM also reported that the Ministry of Agrarian Policy has asked the European Union to compensate for €1.1 billion in logistical losses caused by Russian shelling.