Lithuania needs up to 34 million euros in EU funds to protect its offshore cables, Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas said on Sunday.
"The real need is estimated at around 32-34 million euros from the Lithuanian side alone, based on the situation we have today," Paluckas said after meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Vilnius.
"We can finance these things for a certain period with our own money if we're later able to cover or recover it from European funds," the prime minister said.
"This is more about the flow of funds, but we need a political decision as soon as possible," he added.
Paluckas explained that the funds are needed for the physical and technological protection of the cables.
"Whoever causes the damage must also cover it – of course, this involves a lengthy process of proving it," the prime minister said.
"The differences in electricity prices are also a factor, which is why we are talking about additional lines so that if one line is cut off, electricity prices won't spike, because we have alternatives. But I believe this is understood by the European Commission president," he added.
European Commissioner for Energy and Housing Dan Jørgensen and European Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius said in Vilnius on Sunday that solutions will be sought for EU support to protect critical energy infrastructure in the bloc's next multiannual budget.
Ramunas Dilba, an adviser to Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda, has previously said that Lithuania will seek funding in the EU's 2028–2034 budget for the protection of cables in the Baltic Sea.
In January, Lithuanian Energy Minister Žygimantas Vaičiūnas and his Latvian and Estonian counterparts signed a joint letter to the energy commissioner, informing the Commission of the need to strengthen the protection of infrastructure in the Baltic Sea.
In response to cable damage incidents, NATO launched a new Baltic Sentry surveillance mission in the Baltic Sea in January to prevent attempts to attack underwater infrastructure in the region.
The protection of energy infrastructure in the region became a renewed concern following the damage done to the Estlink 2 submarine cable between Finland and Estonia in a suspected act of sabotage on Christmas Day. In addition, four other telecommunication cables in the same region have been recently damaged.
Newsletter
Every Friday morning.
