NATO allies vow to boost defence spending

France, Germany act in wake of Trump threats

France and Germany have pledged increases in defence spending as European leaders face mounting pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to pay more for their own defence, ahead of this week’s NATO summit.

Amid fears that Trump may be planning to scale down the U.S. military presence in Europe, French Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron will sign into law a 16 billion-euro ($24.6 billion) boost in France’s budget on Friday.

French defence spending will rise gradually over the next seven years to meet the Western military alliance’s target of 2 per cent of GDP.

As NATO leaders, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, prepare for the two-day summit opening on Wednesday in Brussels, German Chancellor Angela Merkel renewed her pledge on the weekend that Germany would also increase its defence budget to meet the target in future years, but she gave no date.

The Liberals promised last year to increase spending on the military by 70 per cent over the next 10 years, but Canada continues to fall short of NATO’s target of spending two per cent of GDP on defence.

In 2017, the alliance’s own preliminary estimates showed Canada spent 1.29 per cent of its gross domestic product on defence, up from 1.16 per cent in 2016.

Trump’s decision to schedule another summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin on July 16 in Helsinki at a time of heightened tensions between Russia and the EU has further alarmed NATO allies.

Macron’s approval ratings are sinking amid criticism that he is weak on security and immigration and he will sign the new armed forces budget at the defence ministry on the eve of the traditional Bastille Day parade.

However, critics point out that more than half of the increase is to come after Macron’s term ends in 2022.

In an attempt to restore confidence in his presidency, Macron will address both houses of parliament in a rare joint session in the Palace of Versailles Monday.

Germany says it is also boosting defence spending because of new threats.

“The challenges for NATO have changed drastically in recent years,” Merkel said in a video address.

Europe’s economic powerhouse last week committed to an extra 18 billion euro in military spending, and to raise its defence budget by 80 per cent to reach 1.5 per cent of GDP by 2024 — still well short of the two per cent target.