Speaking at a panel discussion during an international forum for political and civic engagement in Poland, Deputy Speaker of the Saeima Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica underlined the need for Europe to strengthen its defence capabilities much more rapidly, while stressing that a stronger European defence is not a substitute to the transatlantic alliance – it strengthens NATO.
“Europe must be responsible and prepared in the face of global uncertainty. The objective must be a stronger Europe within a stronger NATO. We can be proud that Latvia understands it and is devoting every effort, as well as significant budgetary resources, to the defence of our country, thereby contributing to Europe’s collective security and to strengthening NATO,” underscored Kalniņa-Lukaševica.
She noted that Latvia is not only significantly bolstering its own defence capabilities, but that in Latvia NATO solidarity is also clearly visible in practice, with more than four thousand allied troops from 20 countries serving in Latvia. “There are troops from 20 NATO member states in Latvia, currently making it the best-protected NATO member state with the broadest allied presence,” said the Deputy Speaker of the Saeima.
Kalniņa-Lukaševica emphasised that Europe has the economic resources, technologies, knowledge, and industrial potential to become a notably stronger security actor. The main task is to swiftly translate these advantages into real military capabilities by strengthening air defence, increasing the production of ammunition and artillery, developing drone technologies and military mobility, and accelerating decision‑making and procurement.
“However, security cannot be strengthened solely by developing armaments and military capabilities. Societal resilience against hybrid threats is no less important. Disinformation, information manipulation, and attempts to divide society can become particularly dangerous weapons because their aim is to erode trust, create insecurity, and weaken our ability to act together,” said Kalniņa-Lukaševica.
She pointed out that Europe has already done a great deal in this area, but hybrid threats are constantly changing and evolving. Whereas conventional military capabilities can largely be measured in specific units – number of troops, equipment, or ammunition – hybrid threats are far more difficult to predict and measure. They adapt to technologies, public mood, and current events.
In the discussion, the Deputy Speaker of the Saeima, together with Dovilė Šakalienė, Member of the Lithuanian Parliament and former Minister of National Defence, and Jim O’Brien, Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations and former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, reflected on the future of NATO, Europe’s military capabilities and the development of the defence industry, as well as the U.S. role in the shared security architecture.
The discussion, moderated by Professor Katarzyna Pisarska, Chair of the Warsaw Security Forum, focused on how Europe can assume greater responsibility for its own security while strengthening the NATO Alliance.
The international forum for political and civic engagement “Future of Poland” is taking place from 26 to 30 August in Olsztyn, Poland, bringing together policymakers, experts, and young people to discuss issues of key importance for Europe’s future.
Saeima Press Service