Strengthening European Security
Enhancing Societal Resilience against Hybrid Threats
Apr 08, 2025 / Vienna / EU Affairs / European Security and Defence
On 8 April, the Austrian Institute for European and Security Policy (AIES), together with the Finnish Embassy and the Embassy of Lithuania in Vienna, hosted an exclusive panel on Strengthening European Security: Enhancing Societal Resilience against Hybrid Threats. The event took place at the residence of Finnish Ambassador Nina Vaskunlahti in Vienna.
In light of the particular vulnerability of the Nordic-Baltic countries to hybrid attacks in the cyber and information space, as well as on critical infrastructures, the Nordic-Baltic states are already acutely aware of the importance of civil preparedness, robust resilience, and a holistic and comprehensive state defence structure.
To give an insight into this, in large parts exemplary, structure, Mr Teemu Tammikko, Senior Research Fellow from the Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA), Mr Darius Domarkas, Head of the Public Security Policy Department, Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Lithuania, and Mr Janne Känkänen, CEO of the National Emergency Supply Agency of Finland, discussed the current challenges of a European resilience strategy against the background of a growing hybrid threat. The discussion was moderated by Nick Nieschalke, AIES Research Fellow.
Apart from the importance of European unity, the protection of democratic values and norms was emphasised as a prerequisite for a coherent and effective European strategy against hybrid threats.
