“The Czech government has officially fulfilled its promise to spend 2% of GDP on defense in line with NATO’s minimum target, the Ministry of Defense announced. Source: “European Truth” with reference to Euractiv Details: Of NATO’s 32 members, at least 24 have reached the 2% spending target, a significant jump from six members in 2021.”, — write: www.pravda.com.ua
The Czech government has officially fulfilled its promise to spend 2% of GDP on defense in line with NATO’s minimum target, the Ministry of Defense announced.
Source: “European truth” with reference to Euractiv
Details: Of NATO’s 32 members, at least 24 have met the 2% spending target, a significant jump from six members in 2021.
The Czech Ministry of Defense allocated 166.8 billion Czech crowns (about 6.6 billion euros) to defense spending in 2024, equivalent to 2.09% of the country’s GDP, based on a macroeconomic forecast published in November, fulfilling its promise a year ahead of schedule .
“For the first time in 20 years, the Czech Republic will fulfill its alliance commitment to spend at least 2 percent of GDP on defense,” Defense Minister Yana Chernokhova wrote on her page on the social network X (Twitter).
Chernokhova also emphasized the new legal guarantees of defense financing.
“At the same time, in the new law on defense financing of the Czech Republic, we fixed defense spending in 2023 at a minimum level of 2% of GDP. We are giving defense what it should have had a long time ago,” she said.
The defense minister also insists that the defense budget should be increased “in the future”, as 2% of GDP should be considered “a floor, not a ceiling”.
However, the Czech opposition does not agree with this. Former Minister of Defense Lubomir Metnar does not consider the Ministry’s expenses to be transparent, especially in December 2024.
A final review of NATO spending is expected in the second quarter of this year, when the alliance will evaluate both the methodology and official GDP figures.
However, Czech Finance Minister Zbinek Stanyura confirmed his confidence in the country’s ability to meet NATO criteria.
“At the moment, we can say with certainty, and we don’t need to worry that the methodological review will turn out to be bad, that the Czech Republic has fulfilled its alliance obligations. Defense spending in 2024 exceeded 2% of GDP,” Stanyura said at a press conference in Monday.
What happened before:
- NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte expects new pressure from US President-elect Donald Trump in the debate over the European allies’ relatively low defense spending.
- During the election campaign, Trump stated that the target indicator of NATO defense spending should be increased to three percent of GDP.
- Recently there were reports that Trump may demand even five percent.