At the time, many allies rejected the idea as a political boastful – But the rise in tensions with Russia and renewed attention on European military preparation have changed the conversation.
More and more leaders are approving the new target, which represents a significant increase in the current expenses of the alliance of at least 2% of GDP.
Dutch PM Dick Schoof said Earlier this month, Rutte had written to NATO leaders calling on them to reach 3.5% of GDP on “hard military expenditure” and 1.5% of GDP on “related expenses such as infrastructure, cybersecurity and other things” over the next seven years.
Today’s comments mark the first time that NATO chief has publicly approved the 5%target.
Although Rutte has not described the exact composition of the 5%objective, he said that the reference base for traditional military expenditure would be “considerably 3%north”, with additional funds that should be devoted to support for infrastructure and logistics.
The most recent NATO figures show that 23 of its 32 members are on the right track to spend at least 2% this summer – a good leap from the three countries that spends as much when the objective was set in 2014 following the first assault in Russia in Ukraine.
However, none has yet reached the 5%mark. Poland leads the pack at around 4.7% of GDP, while Lithuania and Latvia have announced plans to strike or exceed 5% Over the next two years.
