Von der Leyen reiterates call to protect freedom of navigation in the Black Sea

Von der Leyen held a joint press conference with Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev in Varna, Bulgaria.

Stating that there has been an increase in maritime space violations against Bulgaria, especially in the last month, von der Leyen stated that they are in solidarity with Sofia.

Von der Leyen underlined that the Black Sea is of "vital importance" in terms of trade routes for Bulgaria, Ukraine and Europe, therefore the security of the Black Sea means "the security of Europe" and said, "Freedom of navigation in the Black Sea should be re-established and protected." he said.

Stating that they also discussed issues such as tracking maritime threats and foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI) with Radev, von der Leyen reminded that they established the "European Democratic Resilience Center" at the beginning of the year to combat FIMI.

Von der Leyen emphasized that Europe should strengthen its defense capacity and said, "As the Prime Minister rightly stated, if we want peace, we must be strong. This is the reason why Europe invests heavily in defense preparations." he said.

Noting that the Black Sea Maritime Security Center, which was announced by the EU Commission in May 2025, should be put into operation, von der Leyen said, "I am pleased with the development of a closer maritime cooperation not only between Bulgaria and Romania, but also including Türkiye." he said.

The President of the EU Commission also announced that 10 million euros were allocated to support Bulgaria's search and rescue teams.

"Commercial ships should not be the target of attacks"

Radev also thanked von der Leyen for her visit to Bulgaria and her message of solidarity, stating that she showed that she was not alone in the difficulties her country was facing.

Drawing attention to the seriousness of the situation in the Black Sea, Radev said, "More sailors lost their lives in the Black Sea in one month than those who lost their lives in the Strait of Hormuz in 8 months. These attacks are absolutely unacceptable. Sailors are not parties to armed conflict and commercial ships should not be the target of attacks." he said.

Underlining that the serious violations of maritime law and international law must be stopped, Radev said that for this, peace must be established, a ceasefire must be declared and active diplomacy must be carried out.

Radev stated that Bulgaria is not alone in these efforts, and that they have been in constant communication with the President of the EU Commission since the first hours of the attacks on commercial ships in his country's exclusive economic zone.