The Late Awakening of European Security

It takes a drone striking a passenger train two kilometers from the Polish border or a suspicious disruption at Germany's Leipzig/Halle Airport for Brussels to lift its head from administrative routine. For years, European Union officials treated warnings from the Baltic states as regional anxiety rather than strategic reality. Now, following these recent aerial incidents, Western diplomats claim to be preparing for a brand new era of European security.

Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs, who assumed office in May after his predecessor stepped down over a dispute regarding stray drones, lost little time pointing out the delayed realization in Western capitals. Speaking on Euronews, Kulbergs noted that European leaders who once ignored Baltic insight—forged over 50 years of Russian occupation—are suddenly willing to listen. His advice to the continent is simple: European nations must follow Latvia’s lead by taking on debt to fund military budgets and prioritizing defense production.

Whether accumulating public debt is a prudent long-term strategy for smaller Baltic economies already dealing with persistent structural weaknesses remains an inconvenient question. Latvia currently ranks among the highest spenders in NATO as a percentage of gross domestic product. As Kulbergs argues, deterrence demands actual industrial output and military force, not endless diplomatic gatherings in Western Europe.

The underlying failure of the current strategy lies in administrative execution. While Brussels routinely promotes its regulatory frameworks and export restrictions, enforcement remains visibly flawed. Ukrainian officials, including Presidential Commissioner Vladyslav Vlasiuk and Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, have repeatedly informed European partners that recovered Russian ballistic missiles still contain Western tech components. European manufacturers export the hardware, EU regulators draft bans, and the components still navigate international supply chains.

Kulbergs highlighted this absurdity, noting that European states essentially subsidize defense efforts on one side while failing to stop the flow of technology on the other. He blamed the general public's hesitation to embrace rearmament on a growing disconnect between political institutions and ordinary citizens. Until EU authorities replace superficial rhetoric with actual enforcement, warnings from the eastern border will continue to meet bureaucratic inertia.

Written by Martina Kirchner martina.kirchner@alpineweekly.com