Statement by President von der Leyen with Romanian President Dan

Dear President, dear Nicușor,

Thank you for welcoming me to Bucharest today. And thank you, on behalf of our Union, for helping keep Europe's eastern flank safe. Romania stands on the frontline of European security. You help protect our skies, our borders and the waters of the Black Sea. And you are a crucial partner for both your fellow EU Member States and NATO. I saw this commitment first hand last year, when I visited the military port of Constanța and the MK airbase.

Since then, unfortunately, the security challenges we face have only grown. The skies over the Black Sea have darkened, particularly in recent weeks with drone attacks targeting commercial ships off your coasts. Innocent sailors having lost their lives, others are still missing at sea. My thoughts today are with their families and loved ones. And I want to express Europe's full solidarity with Romania; we stand with you.

So, you can count on a strong and united European response. Let me highlight a few points of what we have discussed. First, freedom of navigation in the Black Sea must be restored and preserved. It is a vital trade route for Europe, for Ukraine's economy and for global food security. It keeps food supplies flowing to millions of people who depend on them – many of them in Africa. No one wants peace more than the people of Ukraine. We support them in this endeavour, and we equally reiterate their call for a ceasefire in the Black Sea. In this context, I am supportive of the peace talks taking place in Abu Dhabi tomorrow, with European presence. The second point I want to shed a light on is strengthening maritime surveillance. This includes satellite imagery provided by Copernicus. This is an immediate added value that Europe can provide here for the region as of immediately.

Third, we will strengthen our security in the information space. You mentioned it, hostile actors are weaponizing the information space, and drone incidents often come together with Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference. They target relentlessly our citizens and democracies, sowing fear, spreading uncertainty. This is not just a communication challenge; this is a security risk. We know the playbook. You have seen its devastating potential right here in Romania, and you have led the way in fighting back, and I thank you for that. This is a collective European challenge, requiring a collective European response. This is why we launched the European Centre for Democratic Resilience earlier this year. It gathers the best expertise that is available in Europe and supports Member States, like for example Romania, to better detect these campaigns and to respond more effectively.

My fourth point is we must strengthen our ability to defend ourselves. This is why Europe is investing massively in defence readiness. We have our so-called Defence Projects of Common Interest, and I welcome Romania's participation in all of them. And of course we have SAFE, this is our programme for joint defence procurement. Romania is set to receive more than €16 billion. And you are already leading by example, with your joint drone initiative with Ukraine. This is exactly the kind of cooperation Europe needs. It strengthens Ukraine's defence, it strengthens Romania's security and economy, and it strengthens our entire eastern flank. We need more of this, and this is why, two weeks ago, the Commission launched a second SAFE call. We are making more than €21 billion available to Member States. And I strongly encourage Romania to make full use of this opportunity. To invest in the capabilities, we need to better protect Romania and the Black Sea.

My fifth point is we must also strengthen our capacity to respond to crises on our borders. The horrific recent incidents in the Black Sea are a key example. Today, I am pleased to announce an additional €10 million in funding to Romanian authorities for search and rescue operations. This will support your capacity to respond to such incidents rapidly and effectively.

Finally – and you mentioned it – we need to operationalise the Black Sea Maritime Security Hub. The idea was first presented in our Black Sea Strategy in mid-2025. Since then, the security environment has deteriorated much faster than any of us anticipated. In this context, I welcome the closer maritime cooperation between Romania, Bulgaria and Türkiye. We must all work with an urgency mindset when it comes to our defence and security. That is why I am very pleased to announce that in agreement with Romania and Bulgaria, we will now fast-track the work on the Black Sea Maritime Security Hub, with a clear timeline for completion, and dedicated funding of €50 million.

Dear Nicușor,

I would like to close on a more positive note. Because on 1 January, Romania will celebrate 20 years of membership in the European Union. And what an extraordinary two decades they have been. Romania has grown stronger within Europe, and Europe has grown stronger with Romania. Today, your country is not only a success story of enlargement, it is a pillar of European security, a defender of our Union. What a remarkable journey it has been. And I am convinced that the best chapters of Romania's European stories are still ahead of us.

Thank you.