I want to emphasise that Estonia has not sought the removal of any company or individual already subject to sanctions from the relevant lists. The names in question have never been on the EU sanctions list, and the issue concerned the process of preparing new sanctions, during which member states and the European Commission engage in close consultations and consider different ideas. During this process, the critical dependence of the NPM Silmet plant in Estonia emerged, with implications for Europe as a whole. Several European industries are heavily dependent on NPM Silmet, including the electronics, medical, automotive, aerospace and defence industries, as well as green technologies such as the production of electric vehicles and solar panels.
Europe must act together and decisively to end the dependence of its strategic industries on Russia. Our goal must be clear: to increase pressure on Russia while ensuring that industries critical to Europe’s security are not dependent on Russian supplies,” Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said.
