The EU triples funding for border protection: which countries will receive assistance.

According to FREEДOM:

EU Border Protection

The European Union is preparing to strengthen its defense in the east. Countries such as Poland, Finland, Latvia, and Estonia are preparing for possible manifestations of Russian aggression, reports FREEdom.

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, emphasized during a meeting with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk that the EU fully supports Poland, which is facing hybrid attacks from Moscow and Minsk.

Recently, new provocations from Lukashenko's regime regarding migrants at the Polish-Belarusian border have been reported in Warsaw. Tusk noted that the Kremlin's plans are more serious than just destabilizing Poland.

'Poland's tremendous efforts are aimed at stopping the threat from the east, and the whole world should pay attention to this. Russia's war against Ukraine and recent weeks clearly show that no concessions, no subtle games with Putin and aggressive Russia lead to success or guarantee our security,' said the Prime Minister of Poland.

The meeting between Tusk and von der Leyen took place in an area bordering Belarus, in the Podlaskie Voivodeship, where Poland has built an iron barrier nearly 190 km long and 5.5 m high. In the neighboring Lublin Voivodeship, a barrier over 170 km long runs along the Bug River. Von der Leyen noted that the EU plans to increase funding for border protection.

'If we look at our proposal for the new modern budget of the European Union, the budget for the next seven years, in the long term, we are tripling investments in migration and border management and their protection. Member States that have a direct border with Russia and Belarus will receive additional European funding because, I want to emphasize once again, the borders of Europe are a common responsibility,' stressed the President of the European Commission.

Ursula von der Leyen's Visit

The visit of Ursula von der Leyen to Poland is part of her tour of the eastern flank countries of the EU. On August 29, she visited Latvia, where she familiarized herself with a drone manufacturing plant. Latvia is part of the drone coalition and actively supplies drones to Ukraine.

'I want to sincerely congratulate Latvia. You are on your way to becoming a real state in the field of unmanned aerial vehicles and anti-drone systems, and that is impressive. Your experience will certainly help shape not only the security of Europe but also NATO's defense strategies in the coming years,' highlighted von der Leyen during her visit to Riga.

Cooperation with Finland

Von der Leyen also discussed the issue of combating Russia's 'shadow' fleet and countering Moscow's attacks on underwater infrastructure in the Baltic Sea with Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo. He emphasized that the EU must take its defense seriously, as the threat from Russia will not disappear even after the war in Ukraine ends.

'Russia is already moving troops closer to the eastern borders of Europe. The EU must respond unanimously and decisively, making it clear that we take our defense and security seriously. It is extremely important for NATO to continue to strengthen. I am often asked if we Finns are afraid. My answer is unequivocal: we are not afraid, we are preparing,' said the Prime Minister of Finland.

The President of the European Commission, along with the Prime Minister of Estonia, Kristen Michal, visited the Emari airbase on August 30. Tallinn's defense spending amounts to 5% of the state's annual GDP, and Estonia has become one of 15 EU members that appealed to Brussels for the relaxation of budget requirements for investments in the defense industry.

'Our new modern European budget, proposed by the European Commission, works for the long term. We pay special attention to defense. In the proposal, we increase investments in defense fivefold, and military mobility tenfold,' she reported.

In October, during an informal meeting of the European Council in Denmark, a roadmap for the 'Readiness 2030' project will be presented, which will take into account all the needs of the EU's defense industry. By 2030, these needs are planned to be closed, and the SAFE program will also start, which provides for long-term loans for member countries for the purchase of defense equipment.

The fund for the program of 150 billion euros has already been distributed among 19 EU members. Many states have also reported that they will use this instrument to support the Ukrainian defense industry.