Italy claims it will take ten years to reach NATO defense spending goals

Italy points to economic limitations as the reason it will take at least ten years to meet NATO defense budget targets.

Italy would require at least ten years to reach NATO’s defense spending commitments, according to Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who cited budgetary constraints and the difficulty of rebalancing national priorities. He made these remarks prior to the important NATO summit that is scheduled for June 24–25 in The Hague.

Tajani was hopeful that an agreement with partners could be reached before to the meeting, when speaking alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Thursday. He stated, “I think we can work well with NATO and come to The Hague summit with an agreement ready beforehand, so that NATO can show its unity.”

Italy’s 2024 defense spending was only 1.49% of GDP, considerably below the alliance’s current goal of 2%, according to NATO data. Rome promised to meet the 2% objective by 2025, but a large portion of this would be accomplished through updated accounting procedures that incorporate previously omitted defense-related costs.

However, Italian officials have cautioned against abrupt increases in defense spending, despite growing pressure from the US and other NATO members. Italian defense minister Guido Crosetto told lawmakers that the country could not meet US demands that its members increase defense spending to 5% of GDP. Additionally, he said that an intermediate goal of 3.5% was “not easy.”

Crosetto emphasized Italy’s massive public debt, which is predicted to reach about 138% of GDP by 2026, as well as the country’s other economic realities. The alliance’s national parliaments would have to approve any decision on defense expenditure, he said, adding, “We are keeping a conservative stance on the matter because we do not want other key investments, such as those on public health or social spending, to be affected.”

Italy’s stance highlights the delicate balancing act that several member nations must do as NATO leaders get ready to meet in The Hague: between upholding domestic economic stability and fulfilling collective security obligations.