In full debate due to the increase in defense matters within NATO, there are some countries that have shouted in the sky in the face of great inequalities that are appreciated between the different European countries regarding the financing of this item. And, while the US requires all its partners to raise 5% of their GDP defense, there are some countries that do not even approach 1%.
This situation keeps all countries that make up NATO and the EU expectant, since it is a more than remarkable increase in defense, and for many countries it seems that it will be unassumable. In fact, some of those who invest so far, have claimed some type of sanction or countermelted for those who are far from the current objective (2%).
In a context in which the war in Ukraine has intensified again and does not seem that there are visions that the situation will change, defense spending has become a fundamental factor. Far were those years in which ‘dad’ the United States carried the weight of the Atlantic Alliance, and in which nothing had to be rethink in this matter, since peace reigned in Europe.
However, for a few years, the situation has changed dramatically, and the continuous war conflicts in Europe and the Middle East seem to demand an effort never seen before in modern times.
For all this, Sweden, has made public what is the list of European countries that at the moment do not collaborate in defense as they should, and have done so by proposing an alternative that balances the balance a bit, since from the Nordic country they do not consider fair that all are protected under the same Defense Treaty and instead, there are such large differences.
Thus, in the first place we must highlight the contribution of Poland, which with 3.8% of its GDP allocated to defense, tops the list of countries in this regard. Very closely, others such as Latvia or Estonia (3.1 and 2.7% respectively) are followed, something logical if one takes into account that they are countries that are at the gates of the armed conflict that rose Ukraine since 2022.
However, on the opposite side we find countries like Ireland, with only 0.2% invested in this regard, malt or luxembourg that barely invest 0.6% and 0.7%.
Poland is a leader in its class, allocating a huge 3.8 percent of its GDP to defense.
For this reason, Stockholm proposes that countries that do not invest what is required for the rest, have to pay in the form of taxes to the EU. This measure would reduce the tax burden of countries that do reach the established objective, while it would penalize those who did not arrive, so that it would be compensated, even if it was minimally.
