New JEF combat units, Latvia’s first UN Security Council presidency, Lithuania’s EU enlargement ambitions, sanctions trade-offs, factual producers gathering in Tallinn, and AirBaltic’s restructuring — these are the developments set to shape Baltic headlines in November.
November / 2026 Baltics Next Month Newsletter
Key Shift Towards a Swift Response
In November, ten Northern European countries will sign a naval cooperation agreement—a critical one for the Baltic States. Northern Europe is deepening the 2014 est., UK-led, Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) defence partnership through the creation of new combat units. The formal agreement is scheduled to be signed on the 10th of November against the backdrop of two merging forums: International Sea Power Conference and Atlantic Future Forum. The location of the events will be symbolically staged on the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales. Amid growing concerns over Russia’s hybrid attacks in the Baltic Sea, this lifeline for the Baltic States (including Finland)—through the backing of the UK’s naval power—is seen as a crucial safeguard. Combat units combining surface and submarine warships, jets, unmanned systems and special forces will enable quick defence operations without invoking NATO’s Article 5 collective defence mechanism and waiting for the decision of its 32 member countries.