(Adnkronos) – Nato will ask allies to spend 5% of their national economic output (GDP) on defence but “not with pre-determined annual increases,” Italy said on Wednesday, urging fiscal flexibility to help countries achieve this target.
“It is a fair request, already made by the previous administration (of US president Donald Trump) to have a more balanced Nato,” foreign minister Antonio Tajani said.
Tajani was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a Nato summit in The Hague.
“The goal is “to reach 5% in 10 years. We are not taking orders: what the Americans are asking for is right,” Tajani said.
“Flexibility is important, because if you want to achieve your goals you need to know how assess your priorities,” he said.
Infrastructure as well as hardware should be considered part of defence spending, Tajani argued.
“Defence is an integral part of security,” Tajani argued.
“Even equipping hospitals with equipment to treat victims of a nuclear, bacteriological or chemical attack, or boosting healthcare facilities to deal with these kinds of emergency means investing in the country’s security,” he said.
