Brussels (Brussels Morning newspaper) – Belgium’s Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot opposes NATO’s proposed defence spending hike to 3.5–5% GDP, calling it unrealistic. He supports a gradual 10–15-year increase to 2.5% by 2034.
As VRT News reported, Belgium‘s Foreign Minister, Maxime Prévot, is currently participating in a crucial NATO meeting held in Antalya, Turkey. The primary focus of this gathering revolves around the ongoing discussions concerning military expenditure targets within the alliance. Major players, including the United States and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, are advocating for a substantial increase in defence spending.
They are pushing for a rise in the current threshold of 2% of GDP to potentially as high as 5%. A slightly lower alternative of 3.5% is also being considered as a potential compromise. However, Minister Prévot has expressed Belgium’s inability to commit to either of these figures in the immediate or even medium term.
He has cited significant budget deficits and fiscal constraints as the main obstacles. His objective in Antalya is to garner support from other NATO members who share similar reservations or limitations regarding rapidly scaling up their defence budgets. The aim is to collectively resist what he views as unrealistic expectations.
Will Belgium and Allies resist NATO’s 5% defence spending goal?
According to officials, the push for more defence spending comes from worries about the world, especially the war in Ukraine and problems with Russia and China. Also, cyberattacks and other new types of warfare are threats. NATO leaders say everyone needs to spend more money to keep peace.
But, countries like Belgium have other priorities, like healthcare and helping their economy. With a big NATO meeting coming up, Belgium wants to talk about more realistic spending goals, not just say they can’t spend more.
“Our country already has to bend over backwards in terms of budget to reach the 2%. “For many NATO partners, that will seem like a minimum effort, but for Belgium, it is a gigantic effort,”
Says Prévot.
Belgium’s Foreign Minister, Maxime Prévot, believes that while the current defence spending of 2% of GDP is insufficient, the proposed increases to 3.5% or even 5% are unrealistic for the country soon. He is particularly skeptical of the target set by Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte to reach 5% by 2032, considering it unachievable for Belgium.
The Belgian government’s current objective is to gradually increase defence spending to 2.5% by 2034, a goal that already presents significant financial challenges. Prévot points out that there is no clear strategy yet on how to fund even this more modest increase. He mentioned that achieving a 5% spending level would necessitate an annual expenditure of approximately 30 billion euros.
“We want to make our efforts, but within a time frame of 10 to 15 years.”
Maxime Prévot
Prévot wants a slower, more cooperative approach in Europe. He suggests making a group with countries like Italy and Spain, which also think that quickly raising defence spending is a bad idea.
This group would want to take 10 to 15 years to increase spending, instead of the 7 years some leaders want. Prévot hopes everyone can agree on a plan that boosts defence but also considers money issues. He says a slower increase is the only way to make it work long-term.
