Lithuania has planned to allocate 5.38% of its gross domestic product (GDP) to defense in this year’s budget.
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“Our defense and our defense funding will allow us to remain in the five percent club. What the number will be and whether there will be a decimal part, it is certainly impossible to answer at this time,” Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius told journalists on Monday after a meeting at the Government with the leaders of the Democrats and the “Farmers”.
In turn, Virginijus Sinkevičius, leader of the Democratic Union “For Lithuania”, agreed that Lithuania must maintain at least 5% of GDP funding for defense, but did not specify whether this share should be higher.
“How much after the decimal point (will be – BNS) can be said when we have the full budget picture. Now it would definitely be unfair. As I said, the priority must remain that we stay in the 5% club, and those, let’s say, races after the decimal point must primarily be related to the needs of the army and the projects being implemented,” said the MEP.
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Army Commander Raimundas Vaikšnoras said in an interview with BNS last week that to maintain the current pace of capacity development, the defense budget for next year needs to provide the same or even greater funding.
In turn, Aurelijus Veryga, chairman of the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union, stated that with economic growth, 5% of GDP would be sufficient for defense.
“I think 5% is definitely a sufficient commitment. Keep in mind that the gross domestic product is growing, so in absolute terms the numbers are not decreasing,” said the politician.
