VARNA, Bulgaria — European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pledged 50 million euros ($56 million) on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, to help Bulgaria and Romania expedite the launch of a Black Sea maritime security hub following a string of deadly drone attacks on cargo ships, Reuters reported. Fifty million euros, yaani 5 crore euros.

Source: Reuters via SRN News

At least nine cargo ships were hit by naval drones near NATO members Romania and Bulgaria last month, killing several seafarers and leaving others missing, raising concerns over how the escalating maritime war between Russia and Ukraine is expanding into a major challenge for NATO in the Black Sea, Reuters reported. NATO has said it will deploy maritime patrol aircraft, radars and drones to bolster its eastern flank in the Black Sea.

Speaking from the Bulgarian port of Varna, von der Leyen said all sides had agreed to speed up the hub to restore freedom of navigation in the Black Sea. "It is important to have it now up and running and therefore we want to have clear timelines for its completion and we want to offer a dedicated funding of 50 million euros to this Black Sea maritime security hub," she said at a press conference alongside Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev.

Source: Reuters via SRN News

50 million eurosEU funding pledged to fast-track the Black Sea Maritime Security Hub
10 million eurosNew emergency funding for Bulgaria's Black Sea search and rescue
At least 9Cargo ships hit by naval drones near Romania and Bulgaria last month
2027Target for the hub to be operational, per the European Commission

Ten million more for Bulgaria's rescuers

Von der Leyen made the announcement during a visit to the Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy in Varna, a day after visiting Bucharest for talks with Romanian President Nicusor Dan, the Associated Press reported. In Varna she announced 10 million euros in emergency funding for Bulgaria to bolster search and rescue operations in the Black Sea, where drone attacks linked to Russia's war in Ukraine have made commercial shipping increasingly dangerous. "Drones sinking commercial ships, setting vessels ablaze, killing civilians. Lives are lost at sea. Navigation is disrupted and the cost of insurance is skyrocketing," she said.

Source: Associated Press via Ekkow

On Monday in Bucharest, von der Leyen had announced a similar 10 million euros for Romania's search and rescue operations, with up to 50 million euros earmarked for the fast-tracked hub, AP reported; the hub is to be located in both Romania and Bulgaria's main ports, Constanta and Varna. Commission chief spokesperson Paula Pinho clarified on Tuesday that Brussels aims to have the hub operational by 2027, AP reported.

Bulgaria and Romania plan to jointly set up the EU-mandated hub to improve sharing of awareness and information and bolster security of a waterway which is key to trade, energy and food supplies from Ukraine to millions of people, Reuters reported. In Bucharest on Monday, von der Leyen also warned that broader negotiations over Europe's security architecture must wait until a ceasefire is achieved in Ukraine, ahead of the US-mediated peace negotiations opening in Abu Dhabi.

A hub built while the attacks are still happening

The Black Sea was once a grain-and-energy corridor. A month of naval-drone strikes inside the waters of two NATO and EU members — ships sunk, crews killed or missing, insurance costs surging — has turned it into a surveillance problem Brussels is now paying to solve jointly: shared awareness, shared rescue and a standing hub in Constanta and Varna, instead of each coast guard watching its own stretch of water alone.

What is solid

  • Von der Leyen pledged 50 million euros for the hub in Varna on Tuesday, Reuters and AP reported
  • She announced 10 million euros for Bulgarian search and rescue in Varna, after a similar 10 million for Romania in Bucharest on Monday, AP reported
  • At least nine cargo ships were hit by naval drones near Romania and Bulgaria last month, per Reuters

What is only claimed

  • Who carried out the ship attacks — Bucharest has accused Russia of systematic strikes on civilian ships but stopped short of attributing individual attacks without forensic evidence, while Bulgaria's Radev declined to attribute responsibility while investigations remain underway, the reports said
  • When the hub will be fully working — the Commission aims for operational by 2027, while earlier planning documents had spoken of the end of 2026

What happens next: Bulgaria and Romania must now turn the pledged money into the joint hub's timeline — staffing, surveillance links and rescue coordination across Constanta and Varna — while NATO patrol aircraft, radars and drones reinforce the same waters. Von der Leyen's tour continues to the COP31 climate summit in Turkey, with the Abu Dhabi Ukraine talks running in parallel.