Prime Minister Evika Siliņa: With 5% of GDP for defence, the Baltic States are making NATO stronger

On Friday, 12 December, the meeting of the Baltic Council of Ministers' prime ministers was held in Riga under the leadership of Latvia's Prime Minister Evika Siliņa. The meeting was attended by Estonia's Prime Minister Kristen Michal and Lithuania's Prime Minister Inga Ruģinienė. The meeting concluded Latvia's presidency of the Baltic Council of Ministers in 2025.

The heads of government discussed current regional security issues, the progress of the "Rail Baltica" project, as well as the shared interests of the Baltic States in negotiations on the European Union's next multiannual budget.

"The year 2025 has been challenging for the Baltic States, but also a year of close cooperation. We completed the disconnection from BRELL, strengthened the security of our region and the European Union's external border, made progress in the construction of 'Rail Baltica', and cooperated closely in supporting Ukraine," emphasised Prime Minister Evika Siliņa.

The prime ministers jointly confirmed their common goal: to allocate 5% of GDP to defence in 2026. "Latvia has already begun implementing this historic decision, which the Saeima adopted last week. With this decision to allocate 5%, the Baltic States are making NATO stronger, as these funds will be used to enhance both our national and NATO defence capabilities," said Siliņa.

The heads of government also affirmed close cooperation in securing the external border and countering hybrid threats. "We will continue to resist the pressure of illegal migration on the border with Belarus. Such attacks, including balloon incidents in Lithuania and Latvia, are dangerous and unacceptable," noted the Latvian Prime Minister.

Speaking about securing funding for "Rail Baltica" and the further implementation of the project, Siliņa stressed: "Funding for 'Rail Baltica' is our shared priority. The goal is to secure maximum support for this project in the next EU budget." The implementation of "Rail Baltica" was one of Latvia's main priorities during its 2025 presidency of the Baltic Council of Ministers. Regarding actions in 2026, Siliņa highlighted that "there is currently enough money for construction - all that remains is to build, build, and build."

The heads of government expressed support for the European Commission's proposal to strengthen security and defence, while also noting the need for the EU to acknowledge the economic challenges faced by the eastern border regions. The prime ministers agreed that the EU budget must strengthen competitiveness and ensure fair competition conditions in agriculture.

Siliņa expressed her gratitude to Lithuania and Estonia for supporting Latvia's preparations for its work on the UN Security Council: "We will defend not only Latvia's interests, but also those of the Baltic States and all of Europe. We undertake this responsibility with full commitment."

At the conclusion of the meeting, Latvia's Prime Minister thanked her colleagues for their close cooperation and wished Estonia a successful presidency in 2026.

Foto: