The Vilnius Declaration - agreed

April 11, 2024

The eight EU Baltic countries have pledged closer collaboration to secure critical offshore energy infrastructure, with a particular emphasis on wind, throughout the region.

The Vilnius Declaration was agreed to by the energy ministers at the Baltic Sea High Level Energy Security Meeting 2024 in the presence of the EU, NATO, the European Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators, and representatives of European transmission system operators and the wind industry.

The EU Baltic countries will work across several fronts: increasing offshore wind energy (OWE) capacity from today's 3.1 gigawatts to 19.6GW by 2030, decarbonising their energy systems, as well as phasing out Russian fossil fuels with competitive, 'home-grown' renewables.

To those ends, the partners will develop a regional wind energy supply chain, including through investments in joint (hybrid) OWE farms, (meshed) grids, and port infrastructure.

"Renewables are critical infrastructure. We must make them secure. The wind industry is already helping the military to protect energy infrastructure - and to support national security more broadly. By exchanging data, hosting relevant technology and supporting the operation of radar. The NATO is doing excellent work here. We encourage governments to build physical, cyber and data security into their procurement of energy equipment, including the qualification criteria they apply to who can build wind farms," commented Giles Dickson, CEO of WindEurope.

David van Weel, NATO's Assistant Secretary-General for Innovation, Hybrid and Cyber, added, "The stakes for NATO are high: if Allies take diverging directions in adapting to the energy transition, some technologies might be incompatible and our military interoperability can be at risk. If we do not plan and secure the supply chains of critical raw materials and renewable energy technologies, we might end up with another energy dependency – this time on China. [...] NATO's Energy Transition by Design is a massive challenge, but it is vital to meet it if we want our Alliance to be greener and stronger."

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