Three MEPs will visit Sofia and Varna to see for themselves what is happening in the Black Sea after drone attacks on merchant ships, the press office of the GERB party said. They will hold a press conference in Varna on Saturday, 31 October.

The visit is at the invitation of GERB/EPP MEPs Andrey Novakov and Emil Radev. The delegation wants to learn about the situation in the Black Sea region after the drone attacks.

The background: MEPs on defence committee to visit Sofia and Varna after attacks on ships

The visitors are Angelika Winzig of Austria, Sven Simon of Germany and Jacek Protas of Poland. In Varna they will visit the naval base and the multifunctional crisis response centre at the Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy. The press conference will follow these meetings.

Just two days ago, three sea drones hit a container ship about 21 miles south-east of Shabla, defence minister Dimitar Stoyanov said. It happened on 28 October, while the defence ministers of Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey were meeting in Sofia.

The MEPs arrive days after the European Parliament passed a resolution on 22 October against Russian strikes on ships in the Black Sea. It passed with 432 votes in favour, 52 against and 88 abstentions.

The text condemns the growing number of attacks on shipping. MEPs call for concrete action to protect human life, stability in the region and food supplies.

The resolution also calls on the EU to give Bulgaria and Romania money to improve security in the Black Sea.