Russian attacks on shipping in the Black Sea

A resolution on the escalation of Russian attacks in the EU, particularly against shipping in the Black Sea, was adopted by 432 votes in favour, 52 against and 88 abstentions. The vote was on a joint motion, into which five groups – the EPP, S&D, Renew, Greens/EFA and ECR – had merged their separate versions.

The text strongly condemns the latest deadly attacks on civilian merchant ships off the coasts of Bulgaria and Romania, as well as the repeated violations of Romanian airspace, and calls for a full investigation into these incidents. It states that Russia bears full responsibility for the destabilisation of security, trade, the economy and tourism in the Black Sea region as a result of its war of aggression against Ukraine. It demands that Russia immediately cease all attacks on merchant ships and civilian port infrastructure.

The resolution further condemns the role of the Russian ‘shadow fleet’ in maritime incidents, acts of sabotage and the circumvention of sanctions. It welcomes the additions to the sanctions list approved by the Council on 12 October 2026 and calls for further sanctions packages targeting the revenues of the Russian war economy. It also regrets that the 21st EU sanctions package lifted the ban on imports of Russian sable furs, and calls for it to be reintroduced.

The text describes the protection of shipping in the Black Sea and on the Danube as essential for food security. It condemns any attempts to misuse food insecurity as a weapon or a means of coercion. It calls on the European Union and its Member States to consider deploying an EU naval operation in the Black Sea.

Criticism is also directed at one of the Member States. The resolution expresses concern over the ambiguous response of the Bulgarian Government and regrets the weak diplomatic response towards Russia. It calls on Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev to demonstrate allied solidarity through concrete actions.

All four groups of the pro-European majority tabled their own draft resolutions on the subject and voted in favour of the joint text. The EPP (140 in favour) and Renew (67 in favour) voted unanimously, whilst the S&D (106 in favour, 5 abstentions) and the Greens/EFA (40 in favour, 2 abstentions) voted in favour by an overwhelming majority. In the group’s press release on the vote, Dan Barna (Renew, Romania) points out that drones are attacking civilian merchant ships near EU territorial waters – specifically those of Romania and Bulgaria – and even directly within Romanian waters. Ilhan Kyuchyuk (Renew, Bulgaria) added: “Security in the Black Sea is an integral part of the European Union’s security. Europe must act immediately and decisively.”

The ECR also voted in favour (58 in favour, 2 against, 3 abstentions). Most PfE MEPs abstained (9 in favour, 6 against, 56 abstentions). However, abstaining from a vote does not mean voting against. The ESN voted against by an overwhelming majority (1 in favour, 19 against, 1 abstention). The far right therefore did not act in unison in this vote. The Left voted split (8 in favour, 9 against, 18 abstentions). Both the ESN and The Left tabled their own draft resolutions, which were not incorporated into the joint text.