Slovenia Could Be Only NATO Country Missing Defense Spending Target
NATO expects Slovenia to be the sole member among 32 that fails to meet the 2% of GDP defense spending commitment this year. Czechia and Albania are expected to comply, reducing the number of laggards from three to one.
According to a report cited by Bloomberg, NATO projects Slovenia will be the only one of its 32 member nations not fulfilling the key alliance obligation of spending at least 2% of gross domestic product on defense this year.
The report indicates the number of countries estimated to miss the target will drop from three to one. Previously, both Czechia and Albania—the host of the next NATO summit—were among those not meeting the requirement. Data was collected through July 3, but the report offers no details on how each country reached the threshold.
Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš has stated the country will achieve the 2% target next year. However, there is a dispute between President Petr Pavel and the government over defense spending policy. Pavel has repeatedly criticized the planned expenditure levels, warning that Czechia could end up among NATO's "outsiders." Recently, Pavel and Babiš have also argued over who will represent Czechia at the upcoming NATO summit.
