A historical record: Estonia’s 2022 defence budget increases to 2.3% of the GDP

Estonia will reach a historical record in terms of defence spending next year. In 2022, a total of €748 million will be allocated to NATO-related expenditures, routine defence expenses, plus the acquisition and development of new capabilities. The budget will represent 2.31% of the forecasted GDP for the Baltic republic.

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The Berlin Security Conference: “Europe – Developing Capabilities for a credible Defence”

The Congress was organised by the Behörden Spiegel and supported by an Advisory Board made up of distinguished international people. It is one of Europe’s major defence and security discussion forums: since 2001, the conference and exhibition in Berlin have drawn representatives from European and non-European nations, as well as European organisations and NATO. The focus is on presenting and debating real solutions to improve European and transatlantic political, strategic, and tactical collaboration, to find solutions to reduce tensions caused by limited capabilities, poor standardisation, a lack of interoperability, disparities in support levels, and national limits. As a result, transatlantic integration and future arrangements were the primary focus of the meeting.

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Kamikaze drones might soon change the battlefield landscape

Loitering munitions are nothing new on the battlefield, but cheaper versions could soon be a game-changer. They first started to appear in the 1980s as Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) weapons, and they were soon dubbed as “suicide drones” and “kamikaze drones”.

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European Perspective on the Black Sea Security

For centuries the Black Sea has been an important body of water for the region, from access to the Mediterranean Sea to fisheries. Today, for the region’s countries and surrounding areas, the Black Sea represents a major strategic asset. Countries and regions rely on the pipelines and fibre optic cables laid on the seabed. The straits and the right of passage represent a major issue not only for military reasons but also mostly for daily trade amongst nations.

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A Cohesive Response to the Belarus Border Crisis?

In August 2020, the Belarusian election was widely seen as fraudulent, rigged to ensure that the so-called “last dictator of Europe” remained in power, which led to widespread international condemnation. It also prompted the EU to adopt sanctions against the regime under Article 215 TFEU, aimed at securing the end of autocratic rule and the reorganisation of elections. This led to a heightened antagonism between the EU and Belarus, culminating in last month’s border crisis. Indeed, the Belarusian government relaxed its visa entry requirements in August (Loanes, vox, 2021) in an apparent attempt to incentivise migrants to privilege the Belarusian route into the EU and funnel in a large number of people in the hope of creating political difficulties within the Union, thus weakening it.

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