On 26 May 2026, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, speaking in Vilnius alongside the presidents of Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia, announced an additional EUR 12 billion for the Baltic states through the SAFE instrument and called for a new EU protocol to rapidly mobilise all available instruments in response to hybrid attacks. Von der Leyen described recent air raid alerts, school closures, and transport disruptions along Europe's eastern border as part of a deliberate Russian strategy to destabilise democratic societies, and stressed that Europe stands in full solidarity with Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
Von der Leyen outlined four points. First, on readiness: beyond national efforts, the Baltics will receive EUR 12 billion through SAFE, with Lithuania's plan already signed and Estonia and Latvia ready to sign. She highlighted ongoing investments in anti-drone capabilities, advanced air defence, and critical infrastructure protection, and noted that 16 new projects under the European Readiness Flagships – including the Eastern Flank Watch and European Air Shield – have been selected, with Baltic companies contributing expertise in cyber defence and counter-drone systems. She also mentioned that for the first time, cohesion funds have been opened for defence-related expenditure, redirecting EUR 1.5 billion across the Baltic states for defence preparedness, border surveillance, and economic security, and that the same approach will be followed in the next long-term budget.
von der Leyen argued that the incidents have exposed vulnerabilities and that preparedness must become the organising principle for resilience. She called for more unified alert systems, improved cross-border coordination, and better integration of national systems with Copernicus and Galileo for information-sharing and early warning. She proposed, in full coordination with NATO, a comprehensive assessment of existing counter-drone and early-warning systems across the region to identify critical gaps and accelerate support.
Third, on integrating Ukraine into Europe's defence-industrial strategy: von der Leyen said Ukraine's battlefield experience helps Europe's own defence adaptation, and that deepening coordination on next-generation defence technology is in Europe's strategic interest to out-innovate adversaries. The objective is to build industrial capacity together.
noting that hybrid and cyberattacks, foreign interference, and disinformation are now regular occurrences, von der Leyen argued that member states facing such threats should be able to count on European solidarity. She therefore proposed that Europe develop a protocol for hybrid situations enabling rapid mobilisation of all available EU instruments, concluding that deterrence is the best strategy to preserve peace.
a specific EUR 12 billion funding figure, the SAFE plan signing, the 16 flagship projects, the EUR 1.5 billion cohesion fund redirection, and the call for a hybrid protocol. The policy orientation is towards significantly increasing EU-level defence investment and coordination, particularly for eastern member states, and towards a more assertive, solidarity-based approach to hybrid threats. The speech did not address potential trade-offs such as the impact on other EU budget priorities or the balance between security and civil liberties in the proposed hybrid protocol.
Baltic states and their citizens stand to gain substantial defence funding and enhanced security infrastructure, reducing vulnerability to hybrid attacks. EU taxpayers will bear the cost of the EUR 12 billion SAFE allocation and redirected cohesion funds, potentially reducing spending on other priorities. Defence industries, especially Baltic companies in cyber and counter-drone sectors, will benefit from new contracts and integration into EU-wide projects. NATO will gain a complementary assessment of regional defence gaps, but may face coordination challenges with the proposed EU hybrid protocol.