Last week, EM Lithuania together with EM Latvia, and Lithuanian and Estonian national youth councils sent an open letter to the Europäische Bewegung Deutschland and Europa-Union Deutschland, the main German pro-European organisations, thanking them for their support to Ukraine during this brutal russian war of aggression.
The representatives of all three Baltic states call their German colleagues to reach out to their members in order to encourage them to increase the pressure on the German government to adopt the right – European – decisions without further hesitation.
“Although Germany implemented many measures to support Ukraine during the last month, it can and should do more. Russian atrocities and war crimes are still being financed by billions of dollars, paid by Europeans for Russian oil and gas. If we sincerely say “never again”, we must act now”, says Laura Tatarėlytė, Executive Director of the EM Lithuania, one of the initiators of the open letter.
“Russia’s war against Ukraine is a war against Europe and our European values, therefore, a united European response is crucial”, stresses Gaja Šavelė, Chair of the Board of the EM Lithuania.
Andris Gobiņš, President of the European Movement Latvia states: “It is of upmost European interest to do whatever it takes to help Ukraine win the war against the aggressor. Policies in the last decade and current hesitations from the German government have already created big harm to Ukraine and also the European Union and damaged trust.”
The Baltic pro-European NGOs call Germany and the whole EU for:
1) An immediate import ban on gas and oil from Russia,
2) An immediate and significant increase in arms deliveries to Ukraine, including modern NATO systems,
3) An increase in financial support for Ukrainian NGOs, as well as those providing assistance to refugees from Ukraine,
4) A strong commitment to Ukraine’s accession as a full member of the EU,
5) Financial and organisational support for the participation of Ukrainian NGOs in European networks.
The full text of the letter (in German): here.
For more information:
Laura Tatarėlytė
Executive Director of the European Movement Lithuania
laura.tatarelyte@eml.lt
