PM says Portugal will be ready to invest 2% of GDP by 2029
Portugal is to present a ‘credible programme’ to the NATO summit in Washington next month to achieve defence spending of 2% of GDP by 2029.
Prime minister Luís Montenegro announced the intention in parliament yesterday, in the context that a Council of State called by president Marcelo, also for next month, is expected to discuss the need for the country to ‘step up’ to NATO’s benchmark (Portugal is, in fact, one of only nine countries that have not committed to spending a minimum of 2% of GDP on defence).
“We need it”, Montenegro stressed yesterday, reiterating that Portugal will be taking a “credible and feasible” plan to NATO’s meeting (scheduled for July 9-11).
The PM’s words came in reply to questions from the CHEGA caucus, which warned of the pressure Portugal will come under in Washington to increase investment in defence.
Currently, the state of the country’s Armed Forces is “a disgrace”, ventured CHEGA’s Pinto Pereira: “We face difficulties in all three branches of the military. We have just over 23,000 soldiers, tragically below the 32,000 authorised, we have no anti-aircraft defence, we have no ammunition,” he said.
The exchange then veered into the realm of insults (with the prime minister accusing CHEGA of wanting “to give everything to everyone” without having any realistic budgetary plans on how to pay for it) – but the essential position was clear: Portugal is going to join the ‘good payers’ of NATO club, currently 23 out of 32 – and exit the group that presidential candidate Donald Trump dubbed as ‘delinquent’ – and thus not worthy of NATO protection – in an address that has since seen a great deal of activity by countries to ‘shape up’.
The previous government’s intention was to reach the minimum 2% of GDP benchmark by 2030, so this new plan brings the date forwards by 12 months.
Portugal currently spends 1.6% of GDP on defence (an annual €4.248 billion). Scaling up will cost roughly another billion euros.
