"Today, Europe stands with Lithuania. Lithuania is a frontline state - you face Russia in Kaliningrad, you have a border with Belarus, you live under geopolitical and economic pressure, you also face military and hybrid threats - Lithuania knows very well what the instrumentalization of illegal migration is," said U. von der Leyen.
The EC President indicated that she had heard that two drones crossed the Lithuanian border with Belarus last month.
"I want to assure you that when Lithuania is tested, all of Europe is tested. We are with you in every way possible," she emphasized.
The EC President indicated that the new long-term EU budget will provide additional funding for member states bordering Russia and Belarus.
U. von der Leyen stated that it is proposed to triple spending on migration and border protection.
"It is in Europe's interest to have border protection here, because Europe's borders are a shared responsibility. Lithuania's border is Europe's border," the EC President emphasized.
It is also proposed to allocate five times more spending on defense investments in the long term, and ten times more on military mobility measures.
At the same time, U. von der Leyen acknowledged that Europe"cannot wait for a new budget - it must act now."
Therefore, the EC President recalled the European Security Action Programme (SAFE), a loan instrument that provides EUR 150 billion in soft loans for the purchase of defence equipment.
U. von der Leyen noted that 19 EU countries have already applied for these loans, including Lithuania.
Lithuania applied for a loan
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda indicated that Lithuania will seek an 8 billion euro loan for defense needs from this instrument - according to the country's leader, these investments would strengthen national defense, the Baltic defense line, and also allow for support for Ukraine.
"The SAFE instrument is currently of particular importance. Lithuania has submitted an application for an 8 billion euro loan, of which 7 billion euro will be allocated to the establishment and development of our national division until 2030, and another 1 billion euro will be allocated to strengthening our border protection by developing the Baltic defense line together with our neighbor Poland," said G. Nausėda.
During the press conference, G. Nausėda also recalled two drones that crossed the Lithuanian border, thus once again emphasizing that the task of protecting Europe's external borders is both urgent and long-term.
"Lithuania understands that the current situation is very dangerous and very fragile. We must be able to detect unidentified drones that occasionally cross our border and shoot them down if necessary," emphasized G. Nausėda.
At the time, U. von der Leyen reiterated that 800 billion euros are planned to be released for European defense in the coming years under the ReArm Europe plan.
It provides for a budget deficit exemption, allowing EU countries to exclude 1.5% of gross domestic product (GDP) spent on defence over four years, and €150 billion in defence loans from the SAFE.
EU countries have been able to apply for the €150 billion defense loan fund since the end of May.
According to the Ministry of Finance, Lithuania and other countries will have to submit their Defense Investment Plans to the EC by the end of November.
The final amount of SAFE loans to Lithuania will be determined after agreeing this plan with the EC and after a thorough assessment of the compliance of Lithuania's planned activities with the provisions of the SAFE Regulation.
