Since yesterday, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia are fully independent from Russia's and Belarus's electricity systems after joining the European continental network via Poland.
President Ursula von der Leyen was in Vilnius to mark this historic moment along with the Presidents of the three Baltic States and Poland.
During an opening event entitled "Energy Independence Day", the President celebrated this major achievement saying: "Today, history is being made. The Baltic States are switching on energy independence. No more reliance on Russia. No more external control. From this moment on, you are fully connected to Europe."
She stressed the European nature of the occasion. This synchronisation process, which has been 18 years in the making, was achieved thanks to close cooperation between governments, institutions and engineers in the Baltic countries, the Scandinavian countries, and Poland. It involved over 40 infrastructure projects and over €1.2 billion in European investment.
The President also talked about how Europe overall has reduced its dependence from Russia on energy, following the example of the Baltic nations: "With REPowerEU, we slashed our dependency on Russian fossil fuels. We stopped importing Russian coal. We cut Russian oil purchases down to 3%. We reduced gas imports by 75%. And today, the last electricity grids in Europe that were still linked to Russia are now fully integrated into Europe's internal energy market."
During a press conference ahead of the main event, President von der Leyen also mentioned the need to ensure the security of critical infrastructures in the wake of recent damages. She said: "I see four priorities for securing our critical network infrastructure: the first is prevention, by laying new cables and diversifying our risks; the second is detection, by improving early warning of suspicious activities around these cables; the third is of course a fast response and repair; and the fourth is deterrence, with consequences for these actions."
The President restated the importance for Europe to invest more in defence. While highlighting that NATO remains the foundation for Europe's defence, she also said: "It is clear that we need an EU-wide surge in defence. Modern warfare requires scale, technology and coordination – too big for any one nation to handle alone. This is where European cooperation delivers. We will need funding – both public and private. We will need more cooperation for better interoperability and lower costs."
She reminded the audience that the Commission is currently working on a White Paper on the Future of European Defence, which will serve as a basis for future action.
The President also emphasised the importance of continuing the EU's support for Ukraine, notably in the field of energy, and commended the special commitment of the Baltic countries: "While Russia is systematically targeting Ukraine's energy system, we, together, are supporting Ukraine and repairing at lightning speed. Right now, a Lithuanian thermal power plant is being dismantled and sent – piece by piece – to Ukraine to be rebuild there again. This is what Baltic solidarity in action looks like. As today we are celebrating your own energy independence, you are paving the way for Ukraine's future energy security."
