Five EU commissioners urge Commission to boost security funding for Baltic states
Commissioners from Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland and Finland have sent a letter urging the European Commission to grant the Baltic states substantial additional security funding. The appeal cites growing airspace violations and drone incursions in the region.
A letter dated 30 July, obtained by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), has been signed by five European Commission members: Latvia's Valdis Dombrovskis, Estonia's Kaja Kallas, Lithuania's Andrius Kubilius, Poland's Piotr Serafin, and Finland's Henna Virkkunen. In it, they draw attention to a deteriorating security situation in the Baltic states.
Rising number of violations
The commissioners note that the region has seen an increase in airspace violations and drone incursions. They stress that these incidents are already harming the business environment and eroding public trust in security, and that visible, timely action is needed to prevent further deterioration and to strengthen deterrence.
Call for funding
The letter's central request is additional funding for the Baltic states, an amount which, according to RFE/RL, is equivalent to roughly 115 billion US dollars, or about 100 billion euros. The funds are meant to strengthen the region's business and investment climate as well as overall national resilience.
Proposed measures
Among the proposed measures are boosting rapid-response capabilities to deal with energy disruptions and threats to critical electricity and gas infrastructure, building regional reserves of essential goods and civil protection supplies, expanding shelter and evacuation infrastructure, and improving preparedness against hybrid threats, cyberattacks, sabotage, and electronic or information warfare.
