EU offers cash for Black Sea attack response

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced Monday that the EU will help finance some Black Sea security costs after attacks on commercial shipping — blamed on Russia — even as the main diplomatic push to end the crisis unfolds elsewhere. “Threats, attacks and incursions are rising off the coasts of the Black Sea,” von der Leyen said at the start of her visit to Romania.

In response, she said the bloc will “fast track the work on the Black Sea Maritime Security Hub, with a clear timeline for completion and dedicated funding of €50 million.” She also announced an additional €10 million in EU cash for Romania’s search-and-rescue operations. The sums are tiny compared to the €16.7 billion Romania is getting under the EU’s SAFE arms loans program.

The hub, announced last year, is a joint control center to be run by Romania and Bulgaria and is expected to be fully operational by the end of the year. It aims to monitor maritime activity in real time and safeguard vital infrastructure such as undersea power and communication cables.