“We renewed the National Security Concept of Estonia because the international security environment has deteriorated,” said Prime Minister Kaja Kallas. “Russia started a full-scale war against Ukraine. The COVID-19 pandemic that preceded it, showed how important it is to be ready to mitigate the effects of a civil crisis. These trends have changed how we think of security policy both in Estonia and in the free world more broadly. This means that we must be ready for risks that previously seemed unthinkable both as a country and as a society,” said Kallas.
“The updated National Security Concept of Estonia formulates what politicians and security experts have always said – the main threat to our security comes from Russia,” stated the Prime Minister. “The objective of Estonia is and has always been to make aggression against the Estonian state impossible. However, we are now doing much more on our own and with our Allies to ensure our security. We have raised our defence spending to a historically high level. The defence spending of Estonia in 2023 will exceed one billion euros with 2.85 per cent of the GDP. In 2022, we allocated an additional more than 1.2 billion euros to military defence.”
Minister of Foreign Affairs Urmas Reinsalu stated that NATO defined the Russian Federation as the most important and direct threat to the security, peace, and stability of the Allies in the Euro-Atlantic area when it updated its strategic concept last summer. The basic principles of the Estonian security policy are also based on the same assessment. “We have gone from covert competition between countries to open confrontation, including large-scale hostilities in Europe. In this confrontation, a new international security architecture is being shaped. It is existentially important for Estonia to maintain a world order based on democratic values and rules,” he emphasised.
According to Estonia’s Interior Minister Lauri Läänemets, one of the most important parts of the updated document is the ambition regarding civil protection that has been specifically formulated for the first time. “Estonia has invested heavily in its military and national defence but what is happening in Ukraine is a clear lesson of how important civil protection is to ensure the safety of people and their will to defend themselves as well as the continuity of society as a whole. A protected national border alone is not enough if the people inside it are unprotected in the event of a military attack or any other man-made or natural crisis. After all, we are not just talking about war – remember the gas pipeline explosion in Lithuania last week or the floods in Latvia? The development of civil protection mechanisms enables a better response in such a situation and gives people the skills and tools to cope with crises and help their fellow citizens. The budget commitment agreed in the document to ensure permanent funding for civil protection in the future ensures that we can finally develop civil protection systemically and comprehensively,” said Minister of the Interior Läänemets.
The new National Security Concept of Estonia points out that due to the growing military threat from the Russian Federation, it is necessary to increase the level of military defence costs to at least 3 per cent of the GDP, to which is added the financing of the expenses of Estonia as a host nation for Allies. Similarly to the costs of Estonia’s defence, the state budget strategy ensures permanent funding for the development of civil protection mechanisms, taking into account investment needs based on threat scenarios.
The updated National Security Concept of Estonia is based on a broad approach to security. In addition to defence, it includes the cohesion of society and the resilience of the state, economic security, vital services, internal security, as well as international activities.
Russia continues to use hybrid attacks and asymmetric threats to achieve its political goals. Such influence activities can concern the most vulnerable areas of life, from exploiting energy dependence to artificially induced migration or attacks on vital services and cyberspace. The activities of the Russian special services, which include both divisive activities and the deliberate dissemination of disinformation, pose a permanent threat to Estonia. It is important that people living in Estonia know how to recognise the divisive misinformation of Russia and oppose it.
In order to strengthen the defence capability of Estonia, based on military advice, Estonia will rapidly and fully develop military units and capabilities that are manned, regularly trained, equipped, armed, and secured with supplies.
The National Security Concept of Estonia is a framework document that is used as a basis for relevant development and action plans. The 2023 document on the core principles of Estonia’s security policy is the fifth of its kind and it is based on the 2017 document. The document is drawn up by the government and must be approved by the Parliament. The National Security Concept of Estonia is supplemented or amended in accordance with changes in the security environment or changes in the security assurance capabilities of Estonia, but each composition of the Parliament updates them at least every four years.
