EU strategic approach to the Black Sea region

Written by Suzana Elena Anghel.

Following a request from the European Council in June 2024, the European Commission and the High Representative are due to adopt a joint communication on the EU strategic approach to the Black Sea region on 28 May 2025. This new initiative aims to:

• offer a political vision regarding the Black Sea, based on an overview of the challenging security situation in the region following Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine;
• re-confirm the EU’s strategic interest in the Black Sea as well as its intention to continue to engage with like-minded partners in/from the region on a bilateral and/or regional level;
• present a ‘strategic approach’ and not a ‘strategy’, displaying a lower level of ambition, which may represent a missed opportunity for the European Union to establish itself as a regional key player;
• build on the experience and achievements of the Black Sea Synergy, a 2007 EU initiative aimed at promoting, on a voluntary basis, cooperation in/with the Black Sea region;
• build coherence between the different EU polices and the Union’s offer to the region;
• re-confirm and re-cluster existing fields of cooperation in line with the Commission’s priorities, giving precedence to security, connectivity and preparedness;
• complement other EU initiatives relevant for the region, e.g. the Eastern Partnership and regional cooperation on the Danube River.

The initiative is not expected to:

• benefit from dedicated funding; it will rely on other EU policies and instruments;
• precede an action plan with clear-cut implementation objectives; implementation will be difficult to assess and monitor.

Read the complete briefing on ‘EU strategic approach to the Black Sea region‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.