EU leaders discuss military spending hike during North-South ‘mini-summit’ in Finland

Kallas assumes that “important decisions” will be needed in 2025 on contributions to NATO

Dec. 22 () –

The heads of government of Finland, Greece, Italy and Sweden, plus the high representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Estonian Kaja Kallas, met this weekend to discuss, in a “mini-summit” North -South, the future of military spending in the European Union and, in particular, the possible increase in contributions from member states to NATO, as demanded by the president-elect of the United States, Donald Trump.

The most forceful in favor of the increase in spending has been the Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who has estimated that the commitment of NATO countries to contribute 2 percent of their GDP “is probably history” because the amount is insufficient. Trump, it must be remembered, advocates raising the contribution to 5 percent.

“I think we are all aware that we will have to spend more than 2 percent,” said the Greek Prime Minister during the meeting held in Saariselkä, in the remote Finnish region of Lapland. “I don’t want to get into specific figures, because we all also have obligations at the national level and we must not forget that we operate within the European fiscal framework,” he added.

Mitsotakis has declared in perfect harmony with his Swedish counterpart, Ulf Kristersson, who already stated upon arriving at the summit that “Europe needs to assume greater responsibility for our own security.”

The Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, has been a little more cautious and has preferred to wait for Trump to clearly state his intention when he takes office on January 20. “I would wait to understand exactly what the true will of the new president of the United States is,” he said, before acknowledging that, as far as NATO is concerned, “we all know and understand that we have to do more.”

IMPORTANT DECISIONS

Kallas, finally, applauded this weekend’s debate and assumed that “some very important decisions will have to be made in 2025, because the problem with the field of defense is that we will no longer be able to make decisions when we really need them.” “: they must be adopted much earlier, when times are peaceful.”

The most difficult conversation, he agreed, “will be the one that will revolve around financing”, and he has asked all Member States “to start thinking innovatively, because the problem is now and we have to make decisions now.”