Lithuania urges EU to move faster as security pressures mount

Europe needs to move faster from political decisions to action as it confronts mounting security and economic pressures, Lithuania’s Minister for European Affairs Sigitas Mitkus has warned, months before his country takes over the EU Council Presidency. 

Speaking at an EPC Thought Leadership Forum on 21 September, Mitkus said the EU had already put many of the right initiatives on the table. The problem, he argued, was increasingly how quickly they could be delivered. 

“We need to make decisions faster than previously”, he said, calling for greater focus on implementing existing plans rather than continually designing new ones. 

The message comes as Lithuania prepares to take over the rotating Presidency of the Council of the EU on 1 January 2027, with defence and security, enlargement and competitiveness set to dominate its six-month term. 

Mitkus said economic policy could no longer be separated from security. Protecting critical infrastructure, securing supplies of raw materials and strengthening Europe’s defence industry were all part of the same challenge. That will require money. 

Lithuania is pushing for a larger EU long-term budget, arguing that existing resources may not match Europe’s growing ambitions on defence, Ukraine and competitiveness. 

Mitkus acknowledged divisions between member states over increasing the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), but suggested governments should be prepared to consider alternatives. 

“If some EU member states do not want to see an increase”, he said, Europe should be open to “new financial instruments”, including common borrowing in specific areas. 

The economic-security debate also extends well beyond Europe’s borders. With the EU seeking to reduce its dependence on China for critical materials and respond to global trade imbalances, Mitkus outlined what amounts to a two-track strategy. 

At home, Europe should strengthen the Single Market, make better use of trade-defence tools and capitalise on the power of its regulatory standards. Abroad, it should deepen partnerships and diversify its place in global supply chains. 

But Mitkus pushed back against the idea that Europe’s economic tools should simply be “weaponised”. Instead, he called for a renewed emphasis on dialogue and partnerships with the United States, Canada, Japan, the UK and Indo-Pacific countries. 

The broader message from Brussels was clear: Europe has spent years identifying its vulnerabilities. Lithuania’s Presidency wants the next phase to be about speed, investment and delivery. 

Watch the full event recording below. 

Marko Milutinović is Communications Officer at the European Policy Centre.

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