The European Union's (EU) environmental concerns vis-à-vis the Black Sea stem from various factors such as: the quest of the EU to reaffirm itself as a global actor; the development of the legal-institutional framework that regulates the relations between the EU and its near abroad; and the enlargement process, which provided the EU with direct access to the Black Sea shores. Following an institutionalist approach, this paper analyses how the EU's concerns, strategies and institutional/policy responses to tackle environmental problems in the region have evolved over time. Drawing on the concept of 'actorness', it discusses to what extent the adoption of an effective EU-led approach to environmental issues may strengthen the role of the EU in the region and elsewhere.