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The President at the European Council: The EU must urgently strengthen defense capabilities and resilience

President of the Republic of Lithuania

June 26, 2025

At the European Council meeting in Brussels, President Gitanas Nausėda emphasized the urgent need to strengthen the European Union's defense capabilities and to swiftly implement the Preparedness Union Strategy.

"Today's geopolitical situation leaves no room for delay. European security is not just a matter of words - it requires rapid, coordinated and decisive action," the President stated.

Gitanas Nausėda welcomed the new Preparedness Union Strategy, which addresses the core contemporary challenges: "The strategy is on the right track - it strengthens both civil and military preparedness, changes mindset and reinforces inter-institutional and cross-sectoral coordination. Crisis management mechanisms must be not only modern but also effective," he said.

The President urged a focus on the strategy's implementation and called for the immediate launch of a comprehensive EU risk and threat assessment.

"We cannot afford to wait - we need a concrete plan and secured funding, particularly within the 2028-2034 multiannual financial framework," the President emphasized.

Gitanas Nausėda welcomed the European Council's agreement on the SAFE Regulation - one of the key instruments under the ReArm plan aimed at swift and coordinated strengthening of EU member states' defense capabilities. He underlined the importance of this regulation for building a competitive and sustainable European defense industry and called for the effective implementation of SAFE and other complementary instruments at the national level. He noted that Lithuania intends to actively use the SAFE mechanism to enhance its national defense capabilities.

The Lithuanian leader highlighted the need to strengthen the EU's eastern border and to allocate adequate resources at the EU level for this purpose. He had previously raised this issue in a joint letter to the heads of EU institutions, together with the leaders of Estonia, Latvia and Poland.

The President also expressed strong support for strengthening the EU Civil Protection Mechanism and backed the initiative to create a single EU coordination center for crisis and emergency response.

Gitanas Nausėda stressed the importance of close coordination between the EU's Preparedness Union and NATO's resilience objectives: "Our security is inseparable from transatlantic cooperation. Only through joint efforts can we effectively counter today's threats," he said.

On the topic of competitiveness, the President emphasized the need to strengthen the EU's internal market, promote innovation - particularly in the defense sector - and reduce administrative burdens while simplifying regulations.

The President's Communication Group