A delegation of MEPs will visit Sofia and Varna to see how things stand in the Black Sea after drone attacks on merchant ships, the press office of the GERB party said. The MEPs will meet journalists in Varna on Saturday, 31 October.

The plan became known on 13 October, when the press office said GERB/EPP MEPs Andrey Novakov and Emil Radev intended to invite their colleagues. It said the visit was planned within the next two weeks and would come just days after the European Parliament's resolution.

See also: MEPs call for defence committee visit to Sofia and Varna

The group includes Angelika Winzig of Austria, Sven Simon of Germany and Jacek Protas of Poland. In Varna, the programme includes a visit to the naval base and to the Multifunctional Crisis Response Centre at the Vaptsarov Naval Academy.

Parliament passed the resolution against Russian strikes on ships in the Black Sea on 22 October. In all, 432 MEPs voted for it, 52 voted against and 88 abstained. The text condemns the escalation of attacks on shipping and calls for concrete action to protect human life, regional stability and food security. It also calls on the EU to give Bulgaria and Romania funds to improve security in the region.

Defence minister Dimitar Stoyanov said three sea drones hit a container ship about 21 miles south-east of Shabla on 28 October. The strike came while the defence ministers of Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey were meeting in Sofia.

Follow-up: Borisov and three MEPs discuss drones in the Black Sea