The Baltic Sea has become a frontline. At the 34th Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference in Åland, former heads of state, ministers and parliamentarians warned that safeguarding democracy and stability in the region is no longer an abstract concern, but a daily political task.
Former Latvian President Egils Levits outlined three central challenges. First, he described Russia’s path as openly imperialist: military aggression paired with hybrid tools such as disinformation, cyberattacks and influence networks designed to undermine Western trust. Second, he pointed to a decline in U.S. reliability as Europe’s security guarantor, arguing that strategic uncertainty has grown as Washington shows less commitment and even authoritarian tendencies at home. Third, he identified a deeper crisis of liberal democracy itself – with rational, evidence-based debate eroded by “alternative facts” and algorithm-driven parallel realities. According to Levits, this epistemological shift threatens the very foundations of democratic deliberation.
Levits insisted that Europe must invest massively in its own defence and demonstrate both the capability and political will to deter aggression. At the same time, democracies needed to harden themselves from within: through civic education, media literacy and stronger institutions. Liberal democracy, he underlined, may be imperfect, but remains superior to any alternative. Its defence, he concluded, is a responsibility that cannot be outsourced.
From Finland, former Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto added a historical perspective. Fifty years after the Helsinki Final Act, the cooperative mechanisms that once stabilised the region have largely collapsed – Russia excluded from the Council of Europe, the Arctic Council and the CBSS. The result, he argued, is a Baltic Sea more vulnerable to new insecurities, from shadow fleets transporting oil to damaged pipelines and cables. Yet Haavisto pointed to civil society as a source of hope, recalling that the “third basket” of Helsinki – freedom of movement and information – once fuelled change and helped bring down the Berlin Wall. His message: even small openings can trigger transformation.
Polish MP Jaroslaw Wałęsa emphasised that Europe cannot rely on military deterrence alone. Hybrid threats target infrastructure, media and citizens as much as borders. He called for a Baltic strategy that links cyber and information defence with investment in civic institutions, independent media and education. Democracies, he warned, risk losing legitimacy if leaders remain insulated from citizens. Engagement and trust are as crucial to resilience as armies and budgets.
Debate on democracy’s limits
In the panel discussion moderated by Prof. Sia Spiliopoulou Åkermark, speakers explored how democracies can stay both inclusive and decisive under pressure. Levits cautioned against unrealistic expectations that risk fuelling frustration. Haavisto warned that democratic attention to climate change must not be sacrificed to security concerns, pointing to the dangers of inaction under uncertainty. Wałęsa stressed that rights and duties go hand in hand, with active citizenship forming the base of resilience.
The panellists also reflected on human rights in times of crisis. Levits argued that democracy must protect itself from those who would exploit freedoms to destroy it. Haavisto recalled the dilemmas of border closures during the pandemic, while Wałęsa warned that in the name of security democracies can too easily undermine their own liberties.
The common thread: deterrence must be backed by diplomacy, and diplomacy must be credible only when supported by Europe’s economic and military strength.
Voices from the floor
Floor interventions sharpened the debate. Johannes Schraps (Germany) reminded delegates of BSPC’s historic suspension of Russia in 2022 and stressed the symbolism of meeting in the “Islands of Peace.” Lukas Mandl (European Parliament) warned that democratic resilience depends on Europe’s economic competitiveness. Youth delegates Tom Madsen and Elias Arndt demanded stronger cross-border cooperation, daily defence of democracy and meaningful inclusion of young people, including a lower voting age.
Closing the debate, host Jörgen Pettersson urged delegates not to lose sight of optimism. Quoting Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan, he framed democracy as both fragile and renewable: “The Baltic Sea is a security frontier – but above all a community of shared responsibility.”