NATO expenditure in high altitude: Germany above the two percent goal!

NATO expenditure in high altitude: Germany above the two percent goal!

Cottbus, Deutschland - The discussion about the defense spending of the NATO countries is in full swing. A current article by the Lausitzer Rundschau notes that the member countries have planned around 2.71% of their gross domestic product (GDP) for the defense budget-this corresponds to a sum of about $ 1.5 trillion. The European Allies and Canada plan to spend around 2.02% of their GDP, which adds up to around $ 507 billion. Compared to the previous year, this means an increase in defense spending by 10.9% for NATO and impressive 17.9% for European expenses.

An influence factor that cannot be ignored is the Russian attack war on Ukraine. This conflict has dramatically sharpened awareness of security policy issues in Europe. The perception of the threat has caused many NATO countries to significantly increase their military budgets. The NATO summit has confirmed the goal of issuing at least 2% of the GDP for defense by 2024, a goal that was initially without obligation in 2002 and then decided in 2014. Interestingly, Germany reported 2.12% of its GDP as defense spending for 2024 - and that is the first time that you stand above this goal.

How it came to the climb

An important aspect is the special fund of 100 billion euros, which has been almost completely assigned to the procurement of large devices. The pressure on the Member States and especially on Germany was also reinforced by demands by former US President Donald Trump, who criticized NATO partners because of their insufficient expenses for defense.

In order to take a closer look at the individual expenses, the table below has summarized the loudest voices and the weakest editions of the NATO countries in 2024:

Another exciting point results from the different reactions of the Member States to the criticism expressed. While German politicians have split opinions on Trump's demands, the Czech head of government is open to a discussion about increased defense spending - a sign that discourse on security and defense in Europe is currently very popular.