Defence (and security-related) spending should reach 3.1% GDP by year end – PM

Prime Minister Luís Montenegro announced today that Portugal aims to reach 3.1% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in defence and security-related expenditure, such as infrastructure, by the end of the year.

“We have already been planning for 2026 to increase this investment specifically, both in the component dedicated exclusively to defence and in the dual-use component, which will mean that, according to our estimates and expectations, by the end of this year, the combined total of these two components will amount to around 3.1% of our GDP as early as 2026”, he said, still in Ankara, where the NATO summit has been taking place.

The PM explained that, in addition to the 2.1% that NATO already expects Portugal to invest in areas exclusively dedicated to defence (such as the armed forces and military equipment), a further increase is planned in other areas to reach the figure of 3.1%.

“We are talking about investments in energy infrastructure, communications and various sectoral areas of government. These investments are also taken into account so that we can meet the 5% target set at the Hague Summit. As you know, this comprises 3.5% in exclusive investment in military capabilities and 1.5% in other areas,” he said.

When asked for examples, the prime minister replied that “the country’s energy network” and “the network of major infrastructure projects that enable greater mobility are examples of precisely this”.

“I would even go so far as to say that the transformation, recovery and resilience programme that Portugal is already implementing today – which aims to make our infrastructure, including critical infrastructure, more robust and resilient – is a plan that naturally contributes to this figure growing – and growing as early as 2026 – because we are talking about several such investments,” he added.

Mr Montenegro also highlighted that Portugal has managed to exceed the 2% of GDP target for the first time since the target was set in 2014 (reaching 2.01%).

But as the PM returns home, the fragile ceasefire in the Middle East appears to have broken down; America has resumed its bombing campaign over Iran; Iran is back targeting American military bases in the Gulf states, and petrol and diesel prices are set to increase, once again. For all the complaints by Donald Trump that NATO was not prepared to step in and help the U.S. (even though the U.S. did not need NATO’s help when it launched its attacks, with Israel, on Iran; “it was just a test”…), there is no indication that the resolve of NATO member states (to stay out of the conflict) has changed in any way at all.

Source: LUSA

Natasha Donn

Journalist for the Portugal Resident.