Poland, Baltics call for ‘defence line’ along Europe’s Eastern border

The EU should establish a jointly funded ground defence line on Europe’s eastern border, according to a call from Poland and the three Baltic states, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia.

“Extraordinary measures need to be employed as the EU’s external border must be protected and defended with military and civilian means,” the four countries stated in a joint letter seen by Euractiv.

This initiative is based on the Shield East and the Baltic Defence Line, projects of defensive installations and infrastructure on the borders with Russia and Belarus set in motion over the past years by Poland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

“Building a defence infrastructure system along the EU external border with Russia and Belarus will address the dire and urgent need to secure the EU from military and hybrid threats,” they added.

The letter did not expand on what the infrastructure would specifically entail.

Such threats refer to a combination of military and non-military actions, including disinformation, cyberattacks, economic pressure and the pushing of migrants across borders.

The joint Polish-Baltic call also comes as Russia has been stepping up hybrid operations against the West, with Western intelligence agencies increasingly warning of Russian espionage and sabotage threats across Europe.

Several European countries – including the Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and the UK – have recently investigated and charged suspects allegedly spying for Russia or other forms of collaboration with Russian intelligence.

The EU has also been asked to draw up possible responses against Russia’s growing hybrid and physical attacks inside its territory.

The letter states that the initiative “may also build on EU expertise and innovation in integrated border management, protection of critical infrastructure, civil protection, crisis management, and military mobility.”

Planning and execution should be done in coordination with NATO and its military requirements, the four countries state.

The Eastern push, addressed to European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, comes ahead of an EU summit on Thursday (27 June).

EU leaders are expected to discuss financing the bloc’s future defence needs. However, the bloc’s defence spending plans are currently facing uncertainty.

Since the start of Russia’s war on Ukraine, EU member states have been adamant that more financial firepower for defence is needed.

The European Commission, however, has had difficulties finalising plans that include ‘innovative solutions’ for funding the bloc’s defence industry. A needs assessment is awaited to justify the floated €500 billion fund.

“The scale and costs of this joint endeavour require a dedicated EU action to support it politically and financially,” the four countries warned in their letter.

EU diplomats have estimated the cost of building such a defence infrastructure line along the 700-kilometre EU border with Russia and Belarus to be around €2.5 billion.

Wednesday’s call follows an earlier initiative by Poland and Greece, which called for the creation of an EU air defence system modelled on the Israeli Iron Dome.

´The core idea was to coordinate currently separate air defence systems of EU member states to better protect the EU from military threats and other harmful activities along the bloc’s border with Russia and Belarus.

[Edited by Alice Taylor]

Read more with Euractiv