Romania starts work on Black Sea maritime security centre, with command centre also planned in Varna

Romania has begun work on the ground to establish the European centre for maritime safety and security in the Black Sea. Romanian Defence Minister Ștefan-Radu Oprea announced this in an interview with television channel Digi24, Maritime.bg reports. The project envisages two main command centres in Constanța and Varna, involving Romania and Bulgaria, with active participation by Turkey also planned.

Interior Ministry to coordinate operations in Constanța

According to Oprea, operations in Constanța will be coordinated by Romania’s Ministry of Internal Affairs through the coastguard. The focus will be on monitoring the economic zone, while the Ministry of Defence will provide logistical support and expertise.

This division of responsibilities also defines the nature of the project: the structure described is intended for maritime surveillance and coordination, with civilian agencies taking the lead. It is not a new naval headquarters.

According to the minister, the initiative received a strong boost during European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s visit to Bucharest.

The timeframe of a few months applies only to the Romanian centre

Oprea said the centre in Romania would be “fully ready within a few months”. This timeframe applies to the Romanian component, not to completion of the entire structure or the command centre in Varna. The exact date on which work on the ground began has not been given.

The project envisages Bulgaria participating in the command structure, rather than merely receiving information from Romania. Establishing a centre does not, however, mean that the resources and procedures for responding at sea are already in place.

In Flank’s assessment, the practical benefit will depend on information-sharing between agencies, a clear division of responsibilities and their ability to deploy appropriate forces when a risk is identified. Establishing the two centres alone is not enough to assess that capability.

€50 million reported for the project, with separate funding for rescue operations

According to Maritime.bg, the European Commission plans to allocate an additional €50 million to the project. The publication also reports separate funding of €10 million each for the Romanian and Bulgarian authorities for maritime search and rescue operations.

The sums are presented as future funding, not money already disbursed. At the time of publication, Flank had not found official confirmation from the European Commission. It has also not been specified which institutions will receive the search and rescue funding.

This is a developing story and further information may be added.