“I’m pleased that the Riigikogu today approved the Estonian Security Concept today,” said Prime Minister Kallas. “In today’s security environment, cross-party consensus is a very important message to send out both to our own people and internationally. It is a clear signal that we need to do more, and more quickly, to bolster military defence and broaden national defence, both on our own and with our allies and partners. Russia’s full-scale war of aggression in Ukraine demonstrates the scale of the threats Estonia and the free world are facing.”
The Prime Minister emphasised that adaptation to the worsened security environment is already underway. “Estonia has raised its defence spending to historically high levels,” she explained. “In 2022 we allocated more than €1.2 billion in additional funding to military defence, and this year defence spending will exceed €1 billion by 2.85%. Last year we also increased the salary fund of the Ministry of the Interior by more than €50 million for 2023. And for the first time, targeted funding was given to civil protection in 2022.”
The document of the Security Concept points out that due to the increased military threat of the Russian Federation, spending on military defence must be increased to at least 3% of GDP, added to which is the financing of the cost of Estonia hosting its allies. As with the costs of military defence, the renewed Security Concept requires that the national budget strategy must ensure permanent funding for the development of civil protection to ensure the continuity of the functioning of society as a whole in all possible crises.
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.
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 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.
