NATO European Member States Discuss Raising Defense Spending to 3% of GDP

"First 2.5% Target, Official Agreement Expected by June Next Year"

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) European member countries are reportedly discussing raising the defense spending target from 2% to 3% of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Yonhap News

According to major foreign media on the 12th (local time), European member countries plan to set a short-term target of 2.5% and aim to achieve 3% by 2030. An official agreement is likely to be reached at the NATO summit to be held in The Hague, Netherlands, in June next year.

Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary General, told major foreign media, "There is a figure in mind, but I will not mention it at this time," adding, "What is certain is that 2% is not enough to reach the capability goals." In this regard, a German official said, "The next NATO summit will be the best time to discuss this," and added, "(The 3% target) will send a good signal to the United States and Trump."

NATO expected that 23 out of 32 member countries would meet the existing 2% target this year as of June. Poland (4.12%) and Estonia (3.43%) are estimated to have spent more than 3% of their GDP on defense this year. In the case of the United Kingdom, defense spending is expected to be 2.3%, but experts believe that even if the target is raised to 2.5%, it will be difficult to achieve the military capabilities required by NATO. On the other hand, some countries such as Italy, Spain, Croatia, Portugal, Belgium, Slovenia, and Luxembourg still fall below 2%.