EU commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva has called attacks on merchant ships in the Black Sea "absolutely unacceptable". The European Commission is ready to back Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey, she said on the sidelines at parliament, BTA reported.

On the evening of 16 October, at the end of a two-day meeting, EU leaders wrote in their conclusions that Russia is to blame for attacks on civilian ships, including in the exclusive economic zones of Bulgaria and Romania.

See also: EU leaders blame Russia for attacks on ships in the Black Sea

Zaharieva, who is in charge of startups, research and innovation, said the Commission and its president have already condemned the attacks.

"Sadly, the Black Sea has become one of the high-risk zones," she said. In her words, the attacks result from the war near "our borders". "All this is the result of the war that Russia is waging against Ukraine," Zaharieva added.

The Bulgarian government has informed the Commission and partner services, she said. The Commission is ready to support Turkey as well, which is a candidate for EU membership.

Zaharieva came to parliament for a discussion on the role of innovation and research in European competitiveness, and on Bulgaria's prospects in the next EU budget. It brought together members of the committee on innovation and digital transformation and the committee on European affairs and oversight of EU funds.

Because of the war, the Commission is focusing on strengthening the defence capacity of member states. Defence and security are at the heart of the next multiannual EU budget, and Zaharieva said the Commission proposes five times more money for them than in the current one.

The Commission also proposes that Horizon Europe, the research programme under Zaharieva's remit, cover dual-use technologies. They are not included so far.