A Baltic approach to security and defence issues in the context of NATO and the EU after Lisbon

Abstract

For a long time “the European choice” in security and defence affairs was not an option for the Baltic states. In fact they shared the assessment of a previous report by the Finnish Institute for International Affairs that concluded that “for now, any military EU security guarantees are largely theoretical.” In other words, the Baltic states welcomed the strengthening of EU solidarity, but they did not believe in the relevance of the European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP) as an instrument to bolster their security. Due to their historical experience dealing with a large neighbour to the east, the Baltic countries traditionally trusted and relied on Article 5 of the Washington Treaty.[...]