Ursula von der Leyen travels to Romania next week for EU-NATO defence talks at Black Sea

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen will arrive in Romania early next week as part of a multi-country tour of the EU’s eastern frontline states, with a focus on strengthening solidarity and defence in the face of growing security challenges from Russia and Belarus, the EC announced.

On Monday, September 1, von der Leyen is scheduled to meet Romanian president Nicușor Dan and prime minister Ilie Bolojan before travelling to the Black Sea port city of Constanța. There, she will hold talks with Romanian government and military officials on EU-NATO cooperation and measures to counter maritime and hybrid threats, including prevention, detection, and deterrence.

The visit to Constanța highlights the EU’s increased attention to the region amid heightened tensions following Russia’s war in Ukraine. European officials have expressed concern over hybrid tactics such as cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns, and threats to maritime infrastructure and beyond, which have become more frequent in recent years.

Ursula von der Leyen’s stop in Romania comes at the end of a tour that also includes Latvia, Finland, Estonia, Poland, Bulgaria, and Lithuania. In each country, she is meeting with political leaders and military personnel to underscore EU solidarity with member states bordering Russia and Belarus, while assessing collective defence readiness, the Commission said.

In Poland and Lithuania, for example, she will visit border areas with Belarus, while in Finland, she is set to discuss maritime security and seabed warfare risks. In Bulgaria, her agenda includes a visit to the country’s largest state-owned defence production facility.

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