Lithuania Urges EU to Take a More Active Role in Defense Policy
In an article for the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda emphasized the need for the European Union to take a more active role in defense policy. He stated that the allocation of three percent of a country’s gross domestic product (GDP) for defense should become a new benchmark for all EU member states. Lithuania itself plans to increase its defense spending from four to six percent of its GDP between 2026 and 2030.
Nausėda also called for investments in national defense to be recognized as a “relevant factor” in EU deficit procedures and for the EU to financially support the strengthening of the European defense industry. He suggested that the EU expand its financing mechanisms, including the use of joint debt, to achieve this goal.
The Lithuanian president emphasized that there is no time to wait for the next multi-year budget, which will not come into effect until 2028. “We must act now” he wrote.
Nausėda justified these demands by stating that today, it is mainly the EU’s “frontline states” that bear the heavy burden of conventional and hybrid threats. “This imbalance poses additional risks to collective security. If one link in the chain is weak, the entire chain is weak.”
The EU, according to Nausėda, should cooperate more closely with NATO in strengthening its defense industry, in order to avoid duplication of work, make better use of resources and enhance interoperability between the two organizations. “This would enable the EU and NATO to work seamlessly together in times of crisis.”
The Lithuanian president explicitly called for the inclusion of non-EU allies, such as the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, in these efforts. “Excluding non-EU allies from joint procurement measures would bring the risk of isolating Europe from decisive innovations and put its ability to effectively respond to new threats at risk.