Norway confirms it will spend 5% of GDP on defence
"We must do more to secure our country and contribute to joint security with our NATO allies," says Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.
The PM confirms that his government will spend five percent of GDP on defence. It will bolster Norwegian defence capabilities and made people in Norway more safe, Støre emphasises in an announcement.
"The world has become more dangerous and unpredictable and Europe must take a bigger responsibility for its its own security," he says.
The confirmation comes shortly before the start of this year's NATO Summit in the Hague. In the summit, the five percent target will be on the top of the agenda.
The new level of defence spending will include 3,5 percent on military defence and 1,5 percent on so-called defence-related investments.
According to Støre, the 1,5 percent can cover investments in infrastructure, energy and supply security, as well as measures aimed at strengthening the defence industry and protection against hybrid threats and cyber threats.
The higher defence spending comes on the backdrop of mounting threats from Russia.
"The threats from Russia are significant and enduring," Defence Minister Tore O Sandvik underlines.
The commitment to a five-percent target comes only about year after Norway said it was about to reach the 2 percent limit.
In March 2024, Støre summoned leaders of all parties represented in the Storting to build consensus on defence spending.
Back then, the parliament agreed to increase defence spending to two percent of GDP in the course of 2024. It was presented as a landmark agreement.
Few months later, that deal seems like part of a distant past.
Also the other Nordic countries are about to make similar increases in defence budgets. On June 19, the Swedish government announced that it had parliament's support for the 3,5 percent of GDP. The parliament is ready to invest additional 1,5 percent on defence-related measures, if the NATO summit so decides, the Swedish government informs.
