Roberta Metsola in Riga: “Europe Must Be Honest, United, and Ready — Security Starts with Truth and Action”
#RobertaMetsola #EuropeanSecurity #EUDefence
At the Rīga Conference 2025, held under the theme “Unity, Security and Resilience in a Fragmented World,” European Parliament President Roberta Metsola delivered a powerful and candid conversation with Dr. Maria Golubeva, founder of the crisis-simulation startup Meleys. The discussion focused on Europe’s defence readiness, citizens’ trust, and how to finance and coordinate a more unified European security architecture.
Metsola began by acknowledging that it took Europe “far too long to listen” to warnings from the Nordic-Baltic region about Russia’s growing aggression. “The threats were clear and getting closer,” she said, praising Latvia, Lithuania, and Finland for their leadership in defence spending and innovation. She highlighted that Latvia’s and its neighbours’ early warnings had been essential for Europe’s awakening after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Reflecting personally, Metsola shared: “I come from a country far away, but I’m married to a Finn — this is also a domestic conversation for me.” She credited the Baltic and Nordic nations for showing Europe that “Ukraine’s security is our security.”
On the question of balancing defence spending with social priorities, Metsola urged European leaders to be honest with citizens: “For many years we underspent and gave a false sense of security which wasn’t real.” She argued that investing in security should not come “at the expense of housing, health, or education,” calling for a new multi-annual EU budget that both funds defence and strengthens competitiveness.
Crucially, Metsola confirmed that the European Parliament is working to ensure that defence investments will not trigger excessive deficit procedures, giving member states more flexibility to meet new security demands.
Turning to cyber and hybrid threats, she called for breaking down bureaucratic silos between cybersecurity, intelligence, and critical infrastructure protection. She urged faster legislative action and greater information-sharing among EU member states: “What used to be covert is now overt — done brazenly to destabilize us. The greatest success for those who seek to harm us would be for us not to talk to each other.”
Referencing lessons from the early days of the Ukraine war, she said: “If we had acted faster in 2022, Ukraine would not be in the situation it is today. Readiness and reaction speed are everything.”
During the Q&A, British journalist Edward Lucas questioned how Europe could finance rearmament without overburdening taxpayers. Metsola suggested new financial instruments, such as using immobilized assets and reforming procurement systems, while calling for closer economic cooperation with the UK and Norway: “If we don’t have interoperability between the EU, the UK, and Norway, prices will stay high, and we will lose competitiveness to China, India, and the United States.”
Responding to a question about potential interference in Europe’s rearmament programs, Metsola reaffirmed that the EU would stay united despite global tensions: “What is happening in Ukraine could happen anywhere else. We must be flexible in financing, faster in procurement, and clear in our purpose. If we believe what we’re doing is right, we will find the way to fund it.”
Closing her remarks, Metsola reiterated her core message: “It takes political will, leadership, and honesty. Alone we can’t manage — but together we can protect our democracy, our citizens, and our future.”
——————————————————
*Subscribe to Europe Pulse*
Stay updated with the latest news from Europe.
#EuropePulse #BreakingNews #EU #WorldNews #Politics #TrendingNow #NewsUpdate #Analysis #Ukraine #Russia #USA #UK #EuropeanUnion #NATO #WorldEvents #CurrentAffairs #EUnews #TopStories #InternationalNews #Brussels #Leaders #ViralNews #Headlines
