Germany is poised to gradually allocate 5 percent of its gross domestic product to defense spending over the next five to seven years, increasing the budget by 0.2 percentage points annually, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said Tuesday ahead of a key European Union meeting of defense chiefs.
Pistorius said his government decided on the 5 percent hike due to unique requirements set by the Bundeswehr for its modernization and enhancement initiatives. His statement came after German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul backed President Donald Trump’s suggestion that the alliance increase its GDP defense spending requirements.
Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene has also recommended raising the allocation amid growing regional instability. “As Lithuania has come near the verge of 4 percent of GDP defense spending and looks into the possibilities to increase the defense budget, we anticipate the minimum defense spending to be set at 3 percent of GDP at the NATO Summit in The Hague this summer,” the Lithuanian minister said during a January visit to The Hague.
Berlin joins a long list of European nations that recently disclosed plans to increase their spending behavior to meet the NATO requirement. Canada disclosed in January that the national government is ready to adopt a 2 percent defense allocation to meet NATO requirements. Belgium and Sweden have also announced similar moves.