Estonian parliament committee: EU must urgently boost its defense capabilities

TALLINN - The Riigikogu European Union affairs committee on Thursday approved the Estonian government's positions for the extraordinary meeting of the European Council, which will focus on strengthening Europe's defense capabilities and supporting Ukraine in defending its sovereignty.

"The European Council will discuss European defense, including the defense initiative proposed by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, which would mean an 800 billion euro investment in defense. The council will also consider directing a 150 billion euro loan toward the growth of the defense industry," Peeter Tali, chairman of the EU affairs committee, said according to the Riigikogu press office.

"We no longer have the time to hesitate or wait for the next EU long-term budget to take effect in 2028. We must act immediately, swiftly, and decisively. For Estonia, military defense is crucial, but so is the development and security of critical infrastructure," Tali said. He added that Europe is witnessing its largest war since World War II, and more must be done to support Ukraine, a country fighting the aggressor.

Foreign affairs committee chairman Marko Mihkelson, who attended the sitting, expressed concern that it would take a long time to mobilize such a large amount of money and pointed out that there are platforms through which investments in the defense industry could be made immediately if the political will was there.

"The possibility of channeling European aid money to support Ukraine to fill the gap left by the Americans needs to be considered. Alongside support for Ukraine, we also need to think about how to support Moldova and Georgia so that this region does not become a zone of influence for Russia," Mihkelson stressed.

It was noted that it is important to put pressure on Russia, including by mobilizing its frozen assets, increase military aid to Ukraine, and maintain relations with the United States. The expectation is for the council to decide that the EU must take a more ambitious role in helping Ukraine to fill the gap left by the US.

Estonia expects the EU to send a message of support for Ukraine's efforts to move forward with the EU accession process. The readiness of the large EU member states to increase defense spending was also discussed.

Prime Minister Kristen Michal presented the positions of the Estonian government for Thursday's extraordinary meeting of the European Council in Brussels to the committees. The positions presented by the government received consensual support.