Romanian national defence strategy highlights risks to Black Sea infrastructure

BUCHAREST (Reuters) -Romania needs to forge closer ties with Black Sea allies to help protect energy projects that will make it the European Union's largest gas producer in 2027 from Russian threats, a draft national defence strategy said on Wednesday.

The EU and NATO state shares a 650 km (400 mile) land border with Ukraine and has seen Russian drones repeatedly breach its airspace over the last two years, as well as mines floating in the Black Sea across key trade and energy routes.

The Black Sea is crucial for shipments of grain, oil and oil products and is shared by Bulgaria, Romania, Georgia and Turkey, as well as Ukraine and Russia.

Offshore gas project Neptun Deep jointly owned by OMV Petrom, majority controlled by Austria's OMV and Romanian state-owned gas producer RomgazBX> will reach first gas in 2027, making Romania the EU's largest gas producer.

The country's national defence strategy for 2025-2030, released by centrist President Nicusor Dan on Wednesday, says Romania will strengthen cooperation with Turkey and Bulgaria to protect critical energy and telecoms infrastructure.

"Russia's military posture, its aggression against Ukraine and, especially after 2014, the significant militarization of the Crimean Peninsula endanger the security of the Black Sea region, jeopardizing the safety of navigation and the exploitation of energy resources," the draft strategy said.

"Boosting cooperation with Turkey and Bulgaria, as allied states, but also with other (Black Sea countries), is important in this context."

The strategy, which will be up for public debate for roughly two weeks before being sent to parliament for approval, says the country's strategic partnership with the United States is of "overwhelming importance,"

Washington has recently announced it will no longer rotate a part of its troops to Romania, and Dan said the country was in talks with other NATO allies about potentially replacing them.

The strategy says Romania will consider minority listings of state defence companies on the bourse.

Cyber attacks, corruption and weak institutional capacity were identified in the strategy as some of the main risks to the country's national security. Potential delays in the European integration of neighbouring Moldova and Ukraine would also heighten security risks for Romania, it said.

(Reporting by Luiza Ilie; editing by Philippa Fletcher)