Toomas Asser: Europe's psychological defence must withstand currents from both East and West

Speech by Rector of the University of Tartu Professor Toomas Asser at the ceremony and concert dedicated to the anniversary of the Republic of Estonia on 21 February 2025.

Ladies and gentlemen, dear colleagues, students and guests!

I congratulate you on the eve of the 107th anniversary of Estonia’s independence!

Unfortunately, 24 February has become the counter of the years of war in Ukraine. The entire free world, however, is trying to stop the counter. Victory is a matter of life and death for Ukrainians. For the countries in solidarity with Ukraine, it would mean the triumph of European value space and a reaffirmation of European unity. For Estonia, however, in addition to everything else, it would also mean regaining our own anniversary, the right to rejoice without worry on our Independence Day.

Some weeks ago, the parliament speakers of the Baltic countries, Finland and Poland met here in the assembly hall to exchange ideas on how to achieve just and lasting peace in Ukraine. The discussion held on the occasion of the anniversary of the Tartu Peace Treaty carried an optimistic tone that it is possible to put a just end to the war. The parliament speakers did not only focus on ensuring the material strength required for victory but also recalled the timeless wisdom that peace is much more than the absence of war. “Putin’s dream is a divided Europe, while a united Europe is his nightmare,” said Szymon Hołownia, the Marshal of the Sejm of Poland, at the meeting.

We know from history, and we are witnessing now how easy it is to influence individuals so that the result would be the decision of a nation or, more narrowly, of the majority of the electorate to shake the agreements and values that have so far existed within the country and between different countries. In the current situation, it is imperative that the psychological defence of each member state and the common psychological defence of Europe withstand currents from both East and West. European countries together need to focus on what kind of peace we and Ukraine want. It is worth bearing in mind the recommendation made last week by Jonatan Vseviov, the chancellor of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to keep the focus on the most important: [to ensure] that aggression does not prevail, that Estonia remains in Europe and that Europe as a whole survives.

Recently, I had the honour to participate in a conference at the French Institute for Higher National Defence Studies in discussions on hybrid warfare. This was a think-tank convened by the prime minister of France, comprising mainly senior military officers. They confirmed that France is with us and that Estonia’s experience in realistically perceiving the threat from the East is very welcome to ensure that the West does not underestimate the seriousness of the situation. Europe is beginning to understand that what we have called soft power needs at least as much attention as increasing defence spending in each individual country and providing military equipment for Ukraine. However, the Western countries’ perception of threat has so far remained rather abstract. Universities are particularly expected to be as involved as possible in the debate on situational awareness.

Understandably, universities do not get involved in politics. Still, our role in researching influence activities, cybersecurity and international law, sharing the resulting knowledge with society and giving advice to government leaders is indispensable. Estonian leaders, but also Estonian universities, must tirelessly disseminate practical knowledge about our hostile neighbour’s patterns of thinking and action, and see that the West does not let down its guard again. The somewhat dormant West has now awakened; this is our chance to make ourselves heard. We know and remember that securing the frontiers between imperialism and independence requires being ready at all times and with all our arsenal: armed with identity-affirming stories and insightful day-to-day politics, as well as effective sanctions and battle equipment.

It is also our task to make sure that Europe does not make decisions that throw the development of society out of balance. It is important to keep calm and maintain common sense, as President Karis underlined after the Munich Security Conference. According to Karis, Europe is strong enough, but the strength must also show. We must continue to develop Europe with the same calm and determination, as a unified and leading force.

Europe must cope on its own, but not just with military defence. Right now, in the run-up to the European Union’s next budget period, plans are being made to close the innovation gap with the United States and China. The Competitiveness Compass designed for this purpose focuses on boosting innovation based on the industry’s current needs, with regrettably little support for cutting-edge science and basic research. With The Guild network of universities, we have also drawn attention to that, pointing out that Europe’s competitiveness policy needs to be future-proof and flexible to respond quickly not only to new technological trends and challenges but also to societal ones. If we focus narrowly on economic competitiveness, both basic sciences and the development of the skills we need to cope with an uncertain future are at risk. Moreover, having seen the turbulence that the newly re-elected president has already caused in American universities, cutting off funding to fields of research that he does not like, Europe will hopefully have enough wisdom and strategic vision to give even more prominence to the research done in our universities.

On Monday, we celebrate the birthday of the Republic of Estonia. Our freedom to celebrate our country’s Independence Day is invaluable.

When Pope Francis visited Tallinn five years ago, he referred to Estonia as a land of memory. He said we had to remember all those men and women who strove to make freedom possible. To honour them, the Pope said that “it is now necessary to blaze new trails for generations yet to come.” These men and women evidently wanted future generations to know how to defend the freedom they had fought for and to appreciate and enjoy it. We need to remind ourselves more often what a wonderful place we have been given to live in. Just take a look at Estonia’s position in international social progress indices in various fields. Even if we occasionally drop in an indicator, Estonia’s overall position is mostly excellent. We have recently also received confirmation that, in global comparison, people with higher education from free Estonia are at the absolute top in terms of their skills. We have much to appreciate and enjoy. Thus, we also have much to keep and protect.

Long live Estonia!