Foreign, Security and Defence Policy

The Baltic States have a special geopolitical situation. Former republics of the Soviet Union, today they form part of the eastern border of the EU and NATO, being members of these organisations since 2004. These countries view their integration in the West and the EU as a key security guarantee, with the main idea of Europe as a mutually supportive community being at the core of the integration process. In Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, the European Union is held in relatively higher regard, and the euroscepticism that has grown in other EU member states over the years is comparatively weak.

The goal of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation is to expand national and international dialogue about European foreign and security policy in the Baltic states, accompanying the discussion over the establishment of a shared European security structure, and promoting dialogue with Russia as a common neighbour. Furthermore, FES focusses in its work on the social aspects of the EU integration process in the Baltic States. In terms of the necessary discussions and future alignment of the European Union, it is a priority for FES that Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, being pro-European states, are consistently involved as significant partners in the development of the European project.