The European Union is facing a challenge in terms of ensuring the safety of its east borders. According to the local government portal, the Sejm of Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship unanimously supported the Tarcza East program, recognising it as a key component of the safety of Poland and the full European Union. The Council underlined the request for financial support for border regions and highlighted the strategical importance of defence investments.
In the adopted position, the councillors of Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship stressed that the current geopolitical situation puts Poland before unprecedented challenges that affect not only safety but besides social and economical spheres. The Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship is peculiarly affected by these changes, which feels the negative effects of the war caused by the Russian Federation. "This hard time and exceptional circumstances require circumstantial actions involving proven partners, with whom we share values and a akin view of multilateral global order," acknowledged the councillors.
The Sejm stressed that the protection of the east border of the European Union should not only be a burden for border states, but a shared work for all EU and NATO associate States. "The European Parliament in its resolution recognised the Shield of the East as a flagship task for EU common security", the paper states. On 12 March, the European Parliament voted on a resolution on the strengthening of the EU's defence, including an amendment recognising the Shield of the East as a key task for Community security.
The resolution foresees, among others, the allocation of EUR 150 billion to arms projects, the loosening of EU budgetary restrictions on defence expenditure and the anticipation of shifting funds for military purposes under the EU budget. The paper was adopted by 419 votes to 204. Euro MPs of the Law and the Confederation, among others, voted against.
Warmia-Masurian provincial councillors agreed to redirect additional EU funds to areas bordering Russia. "We support all efforts to redirect additional EU funds to areas bordering Russia, and in peculiar we call for the creation of peculiar financial instruments aimed at the east border regions of the EU", the position states.
The east Shield is simply a task carried out by the Ministry of Defence and the General Staff of the Polish Army, which assumes the construction of military installations and fortifications along borders with Russia and Belarus. The aim of these actions is to strengthen the defence capabilities of Polish and allied troops and to hinder possible aggressor from entering the country. The task is to be integrated into the Baltic defence line, created in cooperation between Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.
The task plans to strengthen about 800 km of the border and the cost of the task is estimated at PLN 10 billion. The task is scheduled to be completed for 2028, after which it is to be submitted to the management of the border defence component. It is worth noting that the EU plans to allocate more than EUR 150 billion to arms projects, which could supply crucial support to the safety of the east borders.
In order to guarantee the safety of the east borders, cooperation between EU and NATO associate States is highly important. According to the local government portal, the head of the PiS club Patryk Kozłowski stressed that his group supports all form of defence against aggression from the East, including the Tarcza East program. It is good that the EU wants to build a strong army, but it is not known how it will work. On the another hand, forgetting NATO, forgetting the United States makes us surely not safe.
In the light of this information, the Shield of the East appears to be an crucial component of the safety of the east borders of the EU. However, it should be remembered that cooperation between EU associate States and NATO is highly crucial to guarantee the region's security. The transfer of additional EU funds to border areas with Russia could supply crucial support for the safety of east borders.
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Security of the east Borders: Will the EU guarantee protection?
