In 2006, in Riga, the Allies agreed to raise their defense effort to 2 % of GDP. A collective commitment made 19 years ago and renewed shortly after the annexation of Crimea by Moscow in 2014. The objective: to signify the political will of each member of NATO to contribute to the collective defense effort.
According to the latest figures made public in Brussels, all the member countries of the organization will have achieved this objective by the end of the year. A significant advance with regard to the results of last year, since of the 32 NATO member states, 10 had still not satisfied this requirement. France has reached the objective of 2 % in 2024, followed shortly after by Germany and the Netherlands.
But the path remains long. At the top of The Hague last June, the Allies revised this upward goal by choosing to bring their defense effort to 5 % of their GDP. A colossal investment judged by Washington necessary to consolidate the collective security of the Alliance in the face of Russian attacks. The secretary general of the Alliance, Mark Rutte, believing that an offensive “Victorious” From Russia to Europe is now possible if no adjustment is made within the next three to five years.
Spain dodges
A new objective, however, rejected by Spain. If the country welcomed this August 28 to reach the fateful threshold of the 2 %, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez refused to The Hague last June, to subscribe to the additional collective effort required – tried “Unreasonable”. A partly justified choice with regard to the heavy internal tensions which threaten the coalition of government and the Socialist Spanish workers (PSOE), corruption. A decision that did not fail to arouse the Vindicte of the American president. “It is the only country that refuses”had denounced Donald Trump at the last NATO summit, threatening Madrid with commercial reprisals.
If Spain is reluctant, Poland, it stands out as the best student of the Alliance, by devoting 4.48 % of its GDP to military spending. Next come the three Baltic countries: Lithuania (3.99 %), Latvia (3.73 %) and Estonia (3.38 %), followed closely by Norway (3.35 %), then … the United States (3.22 %), 6e of the ranking.
Since 2014 (annexation of Russia in Crimea), and a fortiori Since 2022 (war in Ukraine), military spending on NATO member states have continued to increase. They should be more than $ 1,500 billion for the year 2025, according to official estimates.
