Swedish liberals want defence spending beyond 2% NATO target

The liberal Centre Party called on Tuesday for Sweden to increase its defence spending from the NATO-recommended 2% to 3% of the country’s GDP less than a week after joining the alliance.

Less than a week after Sweden officially joined NATO, and just one day after the flag-raising ceremony at NATO’s headquarters, voices in Sweden are calling for an increase in the country’s military spending.

The opposition Centre Party (Renew Europe) believes that the target should be a defence budget equivalent to 3% of GDP rather than the 2% of GDP guideline that applies to NATO countries.

Following Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, the Wales Summit Declaration set a target for NATO member states to “move towards the 2% (of GDP) guideline” by 2024, although this rule was not made binding.

“We want to increase Swedish defence funding to 3% of GDP by 2030 and invest a total of SEK 100 billion (€9.7 billion) in civil defence during the same period,” the party communicated in a post on X on Tuesday.

“Now is the time for the government to take the lead and be honest that it will require hard work and a lot of money,” Centre Party leader Muharrem Demirok added.

It is not only the Centre Party that wants to increase the country’s defence budget but also the parties in the governing coalition.

According to the Liberals, the 2% guideline is “reasonable,” but in the short term, defence spending must be even higher to equip Swedish defence to the extent required by the international situation.

The Christian Democrats are also pushing for increased investment in defence: Last winter, the party declared that, in the long term, they want to see the creation of five army brigades and an additional surface combatant flotilla for the Swedish navy. Currently, only four army brigades are in development.

The far-right Sweden Democrats, which support the current coalition, want to increase the defence budget to 2.5% of GDP and enshrine the 2% guideline in the Swedish Constitution.

Even Defence Minister Pål Jonson of the Moderate Party recently said he estimated defence spending needed to reach up to 2.5% of GDP.

However, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson urged everyone to keep a cool head, as he did not want to promise the Swedish armed forces more money than the increases already planned for the coming years.

“Everyone will want more of everything, and I understand that,” Kristersson said on Tuesday (12 March), adding that Sweden will stick to his plan until it needs to change.

The Swedish Parliament’s Defence Committee is currently debating the shape of Sweden’s defence after joining NATO and will publish a report in April. At the end of the year, Parliament will also decide how the Swedish defence system will develop and adapt over the next five years.

By the end of 2023, only 11 of NATO’s 31 members had met the 2% commitment, although NATO’s secretary general said in February that seven more countries would reach the mark by 2024.

(Charles Szumski | Euractiv.com)