Italy to boost defense spending to meet NATO target by year-end
Photo: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (Getty Images)
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has announced that Italy plans to increase its defense spending to meet NATO’s 2% of GDP target by the end of 2025, Bloomberg reports.
Meloni emphasized that the decision is a response to growing geopolitical threats, particularly Russia’s war against Ukraine, as well as pressure from the United States, which urged NATO allies to increase military spending.
Currently, Italy allocates just 1.5% of its GDP to defense, falling well behind most other Alliance members
According to her, the 2% goal will be achieved through a combination of increased direct defense spending and the reclassification of certain other expenditures as defense-related.
The move comes amid criticism from President Donald Trump, who has advocated for raising allies' defense spending to 5% of GDP.
Although increasing defense spending is a challenging task for Italy due to its high debt levels, the Prime Minister assured that the changes will not undermine the country’s financial stability.
Finance Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti also confirmed that the additional spending will not disrupt Italy’s budget balance.
NATO target
At the NATO summit, EU members expressed support for raising the current defense spending target from 2% of GDP, which would set a new standard for member states.
This move could mark a major shift in defense strategy, as the US has repeatedly called for defense spending to rise to 5% of GDP, a threshold no NATO country currently meets.
Since the start of Russia’s war in Ukraine, defense spending among EU countries in NATO has increased by 30%, reaching the current 2% target.
Earlier, it was reported that NATO is considering raising the defense spending benchmark from 2% to 3% of GDP.
