Leaders from member states on the EU's eastern frontier called on Tuesday for the "prioritisation" of European Union funds towards the so-called Eastern Flank Watch flagship project, arguing they are "at the forefront" of the threat posed by Russia and therefore the bloc's first line of defence.
In a joint declaration released after a summit in Helsinki, the leaders of Sweden, Finland, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania and Bulgaria said that since Russia poses the "most significant, direct and long-term threat" to European security, there should be an "immediate prioritisation of the EU’s Eastern Flank through a coordinated and multi-domain operational approach".
