Portugal will, however, prioritise balanced public accounts
Portugal’s newly sworn-in Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro, announced plans to comply with NATO’s goal of investing 2% of GDP in defence, “if possible, this year”, as long as it does not jeopardise balanced accounts or social functions.
The PM stated that this plan will be finalised “in the coming days” and developed “in the coming years”, ensuring that he will give “prior knowledge to the two largest opposition parties”.
On Thursday, NATO’s Secretary General officially proposed that the organisation’s leaders agree, at the summit on June 24 and 25 in The Hague, to increase defence spending to 5% of GDP to cover the costs of the organisation’s military capabilities.
The increase involves 3.5% of GDP for pure defence spending based on global costs to achieve the new capability goals that ministers have just agreed, and 1.5% of annual GDP on defence and security-related investments, such as infrastructure and industry, Mark Rutte said at a press conference after a meeting of Atlantic Alliance defence ministers.
In his inaugural speech, Luís Montenegro agreed with the President of the Republic’s take that “the world is dangerous” and that the areas of foreign policy, security and defence have taken on an importance that has long been unrecognised.
“For our part, we will maintain budgetary rigour, balanced public accounts and our economic growth strategy. And we will always do what depends exclusively on us and what no one will do for us,” he said, assuring that Portugal will maintain its “solid support for Ukraine”, without referring to the conflict in Gaza.
Montenegro also promised to strengthen “cultural, political and human ties” with the citizens and companies of the CPLP (Portuguese-speaking) countries and to commit to the candidacy for the United Nations Security Council for the 2027-28 term, and to the promotion of Portuguese as an official language of that organisation.
“We will revitalise relations with Portuguese communities and people of Portuguese descent – exponents of Portuguese identity and our country’s universal vocation. We will respond in a dignified and effective manner to your legitimate expectations, whether in administrative services or economic opportunities,” he said.
