Lithuanian PM urges faster defence procurement as spending lags behind budget

Lithuanian Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius on Thursday called on the Defence Ministry to make its procurement more efficient. With less than three months left in the year, the government has spent only about half of its planned 2026 defence budget of €4.8 billion. The issue matters because defence funding now exceeds 5% of gross domestic product (GDP), meaning state institutions must absorb far more money than before.

The prime minister's concerns

Speaking on the radio station Žinių radijas, Sinkevičius said he was not entirely satisfied. He noted that it is practically mid-October, and that spending the second half of the budget over the rest of October, November and December does not seem well thought out or consistent.

He said he understood that some payments under contracts already signed were scheduled for the end of the year. Even so, he had repeatedly asked Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas why spending was not spread more evenly across the year. According to the prime minister, Kaunas assured him everything would be fine.

Faster procedures, not more staff

Sinkevičius recalled that the previous government, led by conservative Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė, worked with defence funding equivalent to 3.5% of GDP. The current administrative system must now manage a budget above 5% of GDP. In his view, the answer is not hiring more people but speeding up procedures, using technology more widely and, in some cases, centralising procurement.

The ministry's figures

On Wednesday, Deputy Defence Minister Karolis Aleksa said more than 45% of the planned defence budget had already been spent, and that spending was progressing faster than at the same point last year.

Lithuania's defence budget for 2026 is €4.8 billion, or 5.38% of GDP. The government plans to raise defence funding by €36 million next year, bringing it to a level equivalent to 5% of GDP.