The article deals mainly with the importance of EU involvement in the wider Black Sea region, the main European policies and initiatives related to this region (the Black Sea Synergy, the European Neighborhood Policy, the Eastern Partnership, the EU Strategy for the Danube region), as well as regional initiatives and priorities in the fields of energy and security. Regional cooperation issues are also approached from a bilateral perspective: the role played in this strategically important area by Romania –gate of the region to the EU and Turkey– gate of the region to the rest of the world.