Europe’s Nato members, Canada set to boost defence budgets

BRUSSELS: Europe’s Nato members and Canada will jointly raise defence spending 4.3% this year, Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said yesterday, partly aimed at showing the US they are committed to shouldering more costs.

US President Donald Trump used his first alliance meeting last month to scold European leaders about spending, which is at historical lows and does not meet Nato’s goal of 2% of GDP.

This year’s hike represents the fastest spending growth since cuts stopped three years ago. Growth was 1.8% in 2015 and 3.3% last year.

However, it was unclear how near the new increase would take spending to the alliance’s target.

Overall spending this year was about $280 billion, a cumulative $46bn jump since cuts left Europe without vital capabilities, such as refuelling airborne fighter bombers.

Only four of Nato’s 27 European members – Greece, Britain, Poland and Estonia – met the spending target last year. Romania will do so this year, followed by Latvia and Lithuania in 2018, Stoltenberg said.

Twenty-five of NATO’s 29 allies plan to lift spending this year, he said, a day before Nato defence ministers meet in Brussels to discuss greater security spending on rising threats including deterring a resurgent Russia, dealing with failed states on its borders and protecting against cyber attacks.

“To keep our nations safe, we need to keep working to increase defence spending and fairer burden-sharing across our alliance,” Stoltenberg said.

The new figures are part of a broader rise in military spending in Europe, as the US commits billions more dollars to return troops and heavy weaponry to the continent to deter Russia. – Reuters