Belgium wants to raise defence spending to NATO standard

Prime Minister Alexander De Croo proposed to bring the Belgian defence spending in line with the NATO standard by 2035. That is 2 per cent of GDP. Currently, defence spending accounts for 1.2 per cent of GDP.

Defence minister Ludivine Dedonder was already planning to increase military spending over the next eight years, with a target of 1.54 per cent by 2030. That corresponds to 10 billion euros in additional military expenditure. In total 6.9 billion euros in 2030.

De Croo wants to speed up the process. In 2030 military spending would rise to 1.6 per cent, in 2033 to 1.8 per cent, to reach 2 per cent in 2035.

However, Europe recently sounded the alarm because of Belgium's persistently high budget deficit. The expected deficit of 5 per cent of GDP this year is well above the eurozone average of 3.7 per cent. It is a trend that has been going on for years. The problem in Belgium can be summed up under one heading: current government expenditure continues to rise. The automatic indexation of wages, lower income from corporate taxes, the increase in the minimum pension by 2024, the increase in the wages of care personnel, temporary measures against rising energy prices and the reception of refugees are pushing up the budget deficit.

Belgium currently has a government debt of 107.5 percent. Europe expects it to remain at that level because of the excessively high budget deficit.

(HC) ​
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​© BELGA PHOTO/Fabian Bimmer - Belgian soldiers take part in training at a German army base on a NATO media day.