RIGA, Latvia (Chatnewstv.com) — European Council President António Costa said Tuesday that the security of Latvia and other Baltic states is inseparable from that of the wider European Union, stressing the need for stronger common defense and competitiveness.
Speaking at a joint press conference with Latvian Prime Minister Evika Siliņa in Riga, Costa said his tour of EU capitals aims to gather input from leaders ahead of the new political season.
“We are a union of nations, a union of diversity, and all voices count in building our unity and our common position,” Costa said.
He underlined two key priorities for the bloc: security and competitiveness.
“It is very important for our union to understand that your border is our common border, and your security is our common security,” Costa said. “For this purpose, we need to continue to develop the Europe of Defence, because we need to have a common strategy, a common spending effort, and a common goal to ensure our common defence and security.”
Costa said boosting defense would also drive innovation and job creation, adding that only strong economies can sustain the high costs of military spending and border protection.
He also called for agreement on the EU’s next long-term budget to support those ambitions.
“We need to have a budget that can match our new ambitions on competitiveness, on security, and on defence,” he said.
Costa is visiting the Baltic states this week and will continue his trip in Poland.
