The European Union vowed on Friday to increase security in the Baltic Sea as the Swedish authorities said they were investigating a new cable break, the latest example of damage to underwater infrastructure in the region.
The European Commission, the bloc’s executive arm, said it would take new steps to prevent and detect threats to submarine cables, which carry internet traffic and transmit electricity.
The severing of several undersea cables in the Baltic Sea in recent months has raised concerns that Russia is using the moves to retaliate against NATO countries that have supported Ukraine. Alliance officials have pointed to Russia as a possible culprit, but have said that it is difficult to prove.
“We want to make sure Europe is equipped not only to prevent and detect sabotage to cables, but also to actively deter, repair and respond to any threat to critical infrastructure,” said Henna Virkkunen, the European Union official who announced the initiative. The recent episodes were of “great concern,” she said, adding that the bloc was taking “decisive action” to protect the cables.
The measures, which the bloc said would be rolled out over the next two years, would bolster security and threat-detection in the region, and prioritize funding for new cables. The measures also strengthened enforcement of sanctions and diplomatic measures against what were termed hostile actors and the “shadow fleet.”
NATO has also stepped up its military presence in the area with a new patrol and surveillance operation, called Baltic Sentry, aimed at protecting infrastructure in the sea.
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