Defence Procurement, Sanctions & Regulatory Advisory in Baltics

The Baltic States have become one of Europe’s most strategically significant defence procurement, security and critical infrastructure investment markets. Driven by accelerating geopolitical developments and unprecedented public investment cycles, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are experiencing a structural expansion of defence spending and procurement activity, supported by NATO capability expansion and regional defence planning, EU SAFE financing and large-scale defence lending programmes, accelerated rearmament and ammunition procurement cycles, military mobility and infrastructure reinforcement projects, border security and surveillance investments, drone, counter-drone and autonomous systems procurement, and cybersecurity and critical infrastructure protection initiatives.

At the same time, European capital markets are increasingly pricing defence as the dominant growth sector of the next decade, with defence, security and dual-use technologies expected to represent one of the strongest-performing investment themes in Europe across equity, credit and private capital markets. This structural shift is driving significant M&A activity, private equity interest, and long-term infrastructure and technology investment into the defence ecosystem.

Against this background, international contractors entering the Baltic region face a highly dynamic environment characterised by accelerated procurement procedures and compressed timelines, complex regulatory and sanctions-driven compliance frameworks, increased scrutiny of supply chains and ownership structures,
export control and dual-use regulatory exposure, cross-border operational requirements across multiple jurisdictions, heightened national security considerations in procurement decisions.

ECOVIS Baltic Defence, Procurement & Regulatory Practice

The ECOVIS Baltic team provides integrated legal, procurement, sanctions and regulatory advisory services for international defence-sector participants operating across Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.

We support foreign defence contractors, technology companies, infrastructure developers, manufacturers, investors and strategic suppliers throughout the full lifecycle of defence and security projects. Our practice combines:
• public procurement law and strategy,
• procurement disputes and litigation,
• sanctions and export control compliance,
• defence-sector regulatory advisory,
• contract structuring and implementation support,
• cross-border Baltic coordination.

Our work is led by practitioners with advanced academic specialization in public procurement law (LL.M. in Public Procurement Law from King’s College London) and extensive experience advising in regulated and strategically sensitive sectors.

Integrated Advisory Across Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia

Operating through a coordinated Baltic platform across Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, we enable international clients to engage one integrated regional counsel for multi-jurisdictional defence and security projects.

Latvia: Defence Industrial Growth, Border Security & Drone Ecosystem Expansion

Latvia is rapidly expanding its defence and security ecosystem, with a strong focus on border security infrastructure and surveillance systems,
drone and counter-drone capability development, ammunition and defence manufacturing expansion, NATO interoperability and allied procurement projects,
development of local and regional defence industrial capacity.

Latvia is increasingly positioning itself as a defence manufacturing and security innovation hub within the Baltic region, with strong emphasis on industrial participation and cross-border supply chain integration. We advise international companies on:
• participation in Latvian public procurement procedures,
• defence industry market entry and structuring,
• regulatory and sanctions compliance frameworks,
• export control and dual-use assessments,
• consortium and subcontracting arrangements,
• procurement disputes and administrative litigation,
• contract execution and claims management.

Our Latvia practice is particularly focused on supporting foreign suppliers entering the Baltic defence supply chain and navigating local regulatory and operational requirements.

Defence Procurement in High-Risk Regulatory Environments

Defence procurement in the Baltic region operates at the intersection of:
• national security policy,
• EU sanctions regimes,
• export control frameworks,
• dual-use technology regulation,
• AML and financial crime compliance,
• supply chain transparency requirements.

Our team combines deep expertise in:
• public procurement law,
• sanctions and export control compliance,
• AML and financial crime prevention,
• crypto-asset and digital finance regulatory frameworks,
• cross-border regulatory risk management.

We advise clients on:
• sanctions exposure and mitigation strategies,
• supply chain and counterparty due diligence,
• beneficial ownership and transparency assessments,
• dual-use classification and licensing,
• anti-circumvention controls,
• high-risk jurisdiction analysis,
• internal compliance frameworks and investigations.

ECOVIS International Platform

ECOVIS International is a global advisory network operating in more than 90 countries, providing integrated legal, tax, audit and advisory services to international clients. This enables us to combine local Baltic expertise with global reach and cross-border capability.