Mārtiņš STAĶIS

Policy topics Mārtiņš STAĶIS is active on

What Mārtiņš STAĶIS has said (15)

• “Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm from Latvia, and we have a long time history with imperialistic Russia. And if there's one thing we have learned Earned is that Russia despises weakness. Every time they smell the weakness for them, it's like a green line to move forward. And we clearly saw it in 2014 because the response from the West was quite weak. And this mostly encouraged Russia to attack Ukraine. So yesterday, uh, Commissioner Kubilius said that basically Europe is in a full scale hybrid war with Russia. Uh, and we can see this in all domains on the sea. When they cut the cables in on the land, the sabotage attacks in Poland and of course, the in the air with a they're violating our airspace. Last time I asked you the question, what is NATO response to this? And your answer was that NATO responds is asymmetric. We try to hit their economy, put more sanctions. We increase our capabilities. We invest in our military industry. But for me, it seems that it's not doesn't stop Russia. And it's basically just encourage them to to to continue the hybrid attacks against us. And since that time we they basically has been just increased. So my question to you is is this asymmetric response still effective? Is this the right strategy? Thank you.”
  EU-Russia relations (from March 2022)
• “(09:19:50 – 09:21:07): Thank you Madam Chair and General Denk. Thank you for your report and for your service in European Defense Agency. Often when I am listing the updates here in reports here in Security and Defense Committee I find myself asking how many years are we already in a state of war basically and how is it possible that four years after Russia's full scale invasion in Ukraine we still cannot produce a sufficient quantity of the munition interceptors and the missiles both for our own defense as well as for Ukraine. So in your view what are the main bottlenecks here? Is it the lack of sufficient orders from the governments to the industry to justify the large scale production? Is it the shortage of critical raw materials on supply chain bottlenecks? Or is it a problem of industrial cooperation and coordination at European level? Because it certainly cannot be the lack of funding. This has been increased significantly both in the national level and also in the EU level. Thank you.”
  Defence spending
• “Thank you very much. And thank you very much, Commissioner, for the efforts and the work done so far. I think the Europe is on the right path. None of the European money will be spent unless member states are due the common procurements. Work on standardisation and interoperability. But of course, the vast majority of the funds are still allocated in the national budgets of the member states. And if we look at what member states are now procuring, they still, of course, can procure whatever they want according to their own interests and develop their own weapon Systems if needed. So, um, and therefore, I think it's so important that you have this authority to set up the all the ministers of defense around the table table and have this political agreement that we need to, you know, foster the process to go for standardization, interoperability. So my question is, could you please elaborate? What are your plans to achieve this political agreement among member states? What targets have member states currently set for joint procurement and how far we are falling behind the set target, which was 35% of common procurement until 2030? I think the last update we had was about year 2022 and it was 18%. Thank you.”
  Defence spending
• “Thank you, chair. And I also want to thank the rapporteur for the work has been done so far. And for well-balanced text from our side, we will focus on the four priorities. Uh, one of them, eastern border priority. So the last week, the Commission announced a new strategy for EU eastern border regions. And that's a good step, but it must come with the real tools. The dedicated calls and funding, including through the Competitiveness Fund. So these regions need support that reach them directly and quickly. Second priority. And you will hear this priority very often because this is the call from the European cities. This is a direct funding for cities and regions. So cities and regions need a direct funding window, not only national distribution. When I was a mayor of Riga, we had strong ideas, but Decisions were often taken by nationally and competitive calls were heard to were hard to win without the prior experience. So direct support and capacity building would help local authorities bring good projects to life, and this should be added via a new urban policy window. Third priority, and I can hear it very often today, is about small and medium enterprises. So earmarking for the small medium enterprises. Smes often can't access large EU instruments, so earmarked funding is an essential tool, not just advice. So we already see their value in the Baltic region. Some of the most advanced Counter-drone solutions are being developed and produced by SMEs. So the competitiveness fund should reserve resources so these innovators can scale. And last but not least, it's about geographical balance in the projects. We stand by excellent based approach, and not every call should be decided by geography. But without measures to widen access, the same high capacity regions will keep winning and funding won't reach where it's needed most. So the competitiveness fund should include practical support to help less resourced regions to compete fairly. We're looking forward for fruitful cooperation with you, Mr. Rapporteur, and also other shadows. Thank you so much.”
  Cohesion and rural funding
• “Thank you. Dear colleagues. In the report, we have included one important section. Movement towards unified standards in the EU defence industry. And thank you, Tobias, for the excellent cooperation. But let's be frank. The report itself will not be of much use until the Commission develops the necessary legislation. We know that the industry by itself will not arrive at an agreement. Each company has its own standards, its own technologies, its own commercial secrets. And this is all very understandable, but we have seen that standards can work. For example, when we implemented the Usb-c charger standard, we adopted the legislation and the standard worked. And this is the same thing that needs to be done in the defense industry, because for soldiers at the front, they don't care what the brand of the drone is as long as it works and gets the results. We cannot delay during war. Any delay is paid for in blood. So I would like to ask you to develop this regulation as soon as possible.”
  EU competences on defence
• “Thank you, Madam Chair. And, um, thank you, Mr., for your statement. Uh, as a representative from the Latvia, I do welcome the decisions was made in the Hague. We already have 3.5%. And for us Latvian politicians, it's easy because actually our society demands at least five. And we will definitely go for that. Um, as far as I've spoken with representatives of Ministry of Defense, many are not entirely clear what was meant by this defense related spending. Maybe. This definitely needs to be more, I think clarified. Um, but my question is, is the summit was indeed quite short, and as a result, many questions were not clearly answered. For example, the what will be the status of U.S. troops in Europe? And how long will the U.S. be willing to maintain its long term involvement in European security? So could you please clarify that? Thank you.”
  EU-US relations
• “Thank you, Madam Chair. Commissioner, thank you so much. Yes. Every time I meet a military industry, they are pointing out the same issues you were talking today. So sounds that they will receive some good news in the near future. So this defence omnibus package is an important step towards making EU defence spending more efficient and coordinated. But it is also important that the streamlined process also reflects the different realities across the European Union. So my question is, so frontline countries like Latvia and also your country, Lithuania, face greater security pressures and specific regional challenges. Can you clarify whether the Commission plans to provide any special support or flexibility for these frontline member States as part of this initiative? Thank you.”
  Defence spending
• “Thank you. Dear colleagues, in the report, we have included one important section. Movement towards unified standards in the EU defence industry. And thank you, Tobias, for the excellent cooperation. But let's be frank. The report itself will not be of much use until the Commission develops the necessary legislation. We know that the industry by itself will not arrive at an agreement. Each company has its own standards, its own technologies, its own commercial secrets. And this is all very understandable, but we have seen that standards can work. For example, when we implemented the Usb-c charger standard, we adopted the legislation and the standard worked. And this is the same thing that needs to be done in the defense industry, because for soldiers at the front, they don't care what the brand of the drone is as long as it works and gets the results. We cannot delay during war. Any delay is paid for in blood. So I would like to ask you to develop this regulation as soon as possible.”
  EU competences on defence
• “President. Colleagues. Crisis is not a part of Europe. But when the disaster strikes, it is not government official who knocks first at your door. It's your neighbor. And that is where true preparedness begins, in trust between people, in the strength of local NGOs and community groups. Who knows the names and needs in their neighborhoods? They can organize trainings, build resilience from the bottom up. And often they are more trusted than government institutions. We see this in Finland, where networks like link citizens and state, and across Europe like in Latvia, where Latvian Platform of Development Cooperation works to build local resilience. We must support the human infrastructure with recognition, with resources and with a seat at the table, because the resilience starts with the person next door, not the system above. So let us include strong support for NGOs in the preparedness strategy as well. Thank you.”
  EU engagement with civil society
• “Thank you, Madam Chair. René van Lanschot is overshadowed on this report for this file, but unfortunately, he cannot make it today because he is in Kiev in an anniversary commemoration. So in his opinion, we don't, uh, it's, uh, we don't think it matters much what we call it. Be it autonomous, European pillar, NATO, a European Defence Union or European Army. What matters is that Europe can as soon as possible, defend itself autonomously with its own command and control, strategic enablers and force structure under sovereign political framework. And we can save hundreds of billions of euros of taxpayer money if we integrate our militaries. And the question goes to Steve Blackman. So Commissioner Kobielus has recently brought up the necessity of replacing the 100,000 US Rapid Reaction Force with a European alternative. In your study, you highlight two optimal governance models for this. One is we can call PESCO or other is like modular Frontex. Which one of those two is best fit for it? Thank you.”
  EU competences on defence
• “Thank you. And thank you, Crystal, for this report. When I think about readiness 2030, my question is always, how can the EU put itself in a position to defend itself conventionally against Russia? And this is less about where we find the money and more about what the money will buy us. So we already have NATO capability targets. We know what is needed. So what we need now is for commission to coordinate large scale procurement program for critical capabilities, especially enablers. We need a real output plan with clear targets, strict timelines and regular checks. Another important principle we should solve the problem where it exists. And what is missing in this report is a focus on the Baltic States and Eastern Europe, the regions bordering aggressor states. This is where the threat is the highest and where we are most vulnerable. Some from Latvia perspective. I work closely with our military. We have invested in a new training ground for allied troops, and this is an opportunity for all member states, just as Sweden has done. You can send equipment, rotate troops and conduct exercises in our region. This strengthens our common security and gives your forces Valuable experience. Thank you.”
  Defence spending
• “Dear colleagues, too late, too late and too slow. But Europe has finally understood. The sooner will be rid of Russian gas and oil, the sooner will be able to also stop the war machinery of Russia. Latvia refused Russian gas already a thousand days ago. And when we look now at the European countries who have not done it, like Hungary or Slovakia, I have to think about the sense of humiliation Emulation that people have to feel that these are people who have suffered from this imperial evil of Russia, and they now see their own officials going to Russia to kiss the feet of Putin, to ask for gas instead of taking care of their own countries and to introduce energy independence. They still do that. And then they are, of course, those who keep saying, oh, Russia must have changed. It will be a partner with Nord Stream project and everything. But where where did that bring us? It brought us to a weak Europe. We've been we have been feeding this monster in the hope that it will not attack us. So we have to understand that this is imperial evil, and only when we fight against it will we achieve peace.”
  EU approach to energy security (home-made vs import sources)
• “Dear colleagues. I too dislike the one side trade deal with the United States. I too dislike watching Europe quietly accept a shifting world order, or the next sudden decision from the US president so we can shorten the sky, tear our eyes out, or hold the endless non-confidence votes. But nothing will change if we do not understand one simple truth. Any commission will have its hands tied if Europe depends on others for security. So our values are the strongest in the world, but our muscles are weak. So relying on America's shield comes at a price for Europe. Only Europe is able to defend itself, will be treated as equal by Washington or by Beijing. So defence must come first. The better trade deals and influence will follow.”
  EU-US relations
• “Dear colleagues, I once sat next to a wealthy American who taught me about the new concept for money. It is not about riches. It is about ability to sometimes say no, to walk away from your dead end job and control your own future. And right now, Europe does not have that kind of privilege. Around 80,000 US troops are stationed here forming a pan-European security force. We are grateful for this. It really strengthens European as well as American security. But what if one day they leave and Europe has no real answer? That isn't strategic autonomy. That isn't strategic at all. That is why Europe needs what I call a few defense the ability to stand on its own. This starts with being able to build our own European Rapid Reaction force around 100 000 troops fully aligned with NATO. Not because we want to stand alone, but because we must be ready for it. Thank you.”
  EU competences on defence
• “Thank you so much and thank you for this strategy. I do agree with all seven strategic objectives and 67 tasks. I have been working with preparedness, readiness and Resilience and civil defense questions. In 2018. I have been studying the best practices around the Europe. And there is one thing when I'm pretty sure that all those strategies should be bottom up strategies, not top down, because these are our societies, our communities, who actually wants to know what to do in case of crisis, where to get information, what is the division of the task between them and civil society and organizations, and therefore the NGOs are playing a crucial role in these processes, in public awareness, in education, in preparedness Efforts. Non-governmental organizations plays really outstanding role and this is also confirmed by Latvia own experience. So my question is what role have you assigned to non-governmental organizations in this strategy? And will NGOs have an opportunity to apply for EU funding in order to implement these objectives? Thank you.”
  EU engagement with civil society