The European Union's New Strategy Regarding Black Sea Region Security Issues

Abstract

The aim of the work is to research the essence of the new action strategy of the European Union regarding the security of the Black Sea region. Against the background of the changed geopolitical environment in the region (especially after the 2022 Russia-Ukraine events) and the transformation of the balance of power, the work also explores the revision of security policy instruments by the European Union and the real perspectives of strategic involvement.

The research analyzes the main directions of the EU's new strategy toward the Black Sea region, including the possibilities of:

• Strengthening maritime infrastructure
• Protecting critical infrastructure
• Promoting energy diversification
• Developing mechanisms to combat hybrid threats
• Supporting the institutional resilience of partner states

The aim of the work is to evaluate the effectiveness of the new strategy in terms of ensuring regional stability, strengthening deterrence policies, and forming a collective security architecture. The research is based on a critical synthesis of official documents, strategic concepts, and expert assessments. The results of the research demonstrate the EU's growing ambition to form itself as the creator of the structural security architecture in the Black Sea region and to define its long-term geopolitical role. The research results also highlight the expected flaws of the EU strategy and the potential reasons for the strategy's possible ineffectiveness. The research relies on methods such as document study and content analysis, as well as scientific literature, internet resources, and reports published by various research centers and government agencies.