The European Conservatives and Reformists are calling for immediate action to protect critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea.

Speaking in a debate initiated by the ECR Group in the European Parliament in Strasbourg, MEP Rihards Kols said: “Today, the lifeblood of our civilisation lies in its infrastructure—facilitating communication, transport, commerce, and security. Severing these lifelines, as we have seen with two undersea cables in the Baltic Sea, can have catastrophic consequences for our societies and economies.”

Kols continued: “Calculated hybrid attacks are designed to test our defences, to spread fear, and weaken European resolve”.

He called for concrete steps: Maritime surveillance and monitoring should be increased, a rapid response team for critical infrastructure should be set up, and exclusive, controlled shipping lanes should be established to reduce risks. Furthermore, it is imperative to impose real economic and political consequences on anyone responsible, according to Kols.

“Europe is under attack, and it’s time we defend it”, he concluded.