Finance Ministers of Luxembourg, Baltic States Discuss European Security, Avenues for Collaboration

Luxembourg's Minister of Finance, Gilles Roth, visited Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia from Monday 3 to Wednesday 5 March 2025.

As reported by Luxembourg's Ministry of Finance, this mission focused on European security but also served to strengthen bilateral relations and promote cooperation between Luxembourg and the Baltic States.

During this visit, Minister Roth met his counterparts, finance ministers Rimantas Šadžius (Lithuania), Jürgen Ligi (Estonia) and Arvils Ašeradens (Latvia). The discussions focused on the priorities of the European Union, current geopolitical developments and the defence spending needed to ensure European security in the years to come.

During his mission, Minister Roth visited the Rokantiškės military campus near Vilnius. The ministry said this visit provided a better understanding of the significant defence efforts deployed by Lithuania. Luxembourg's Finance Minister then visited the e-Estonia Briefing Centre in Tallinn, where he learned about Estonia's digital innovation ecosystem and its pioneering role in e-governance. In Riga, Minister Roth visited the NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence. He discussed communication strategies and the future of artificial intelligence (AI) with the centre's director.

The Finance Ministry said the discussions in the region were "fruitful" and made it possible to identify possible avenues for collaboration, both in the field of deepening European capital markets and strengthening security and stability in Europe. It added that the finance ministers stressed the importance of economic and financial cooperation between their respective countries.

Minister Roth commented: "I am impressed by my visit to the Baltic countries. The war is palpable. European security can only be guaranteed through cooperation and solidarity. This applies to the European Union as well as NATO. Europe must act in a unified manner. This is the clear message that comes out of all my meetings with the Baltic partners."