Poland to increase defence budget by 19 percent?
PR dla Zagranicy
Roberto Galea
13.04.2015 11:24
The largest country in Central and Eastern Europe will increase its budget for national defence by a fifth,
Photo: Flickr.com/Ministerstwo Obrony
“In contrast to most of Western and Central Europe, Poland is likely to exceed the NATO two percent target in 2015,” read a report published Monday by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
Between 2005 and 2014, Poland increased its military expenditure by 38 per cent in real terms. This included a 13 percent increase in 2014, with an additional boost of 19 per cent in real terms planned in 2015.
SIPRI says that the reasons for this are that Poland is “largely avoided the economic fallout from the 2008 financial crisis; and has been willing to invest in its military, engage in NATO and US-led military operations and host the US ballistic missile defence programme (largely due to historical fears of Russia).”
Between 2013–2022, Poland aims to spend PLN 130 billion (USD 35 billion) purchasing and upgrading military equipment for land, sea and air.
The institute said that Lithuania is planning on icreasing its military budget by 50 oercent in nominal terms.
SIPRI is an independent international institute dedicated to research into conflict, armaments, arms control and disarmament, based in Stockholm, Sweden. (rg)