In the Czech Republic, defense spending has reached 2% of GDP for the first time in 20 years.

The Czech government has fulfilled its promise to allocate 2% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to defense, in line with NATO's minimum target.

This was announced by the Czech Ministry of Defense, reports Euractiv.

Out of 32 NATO members, at least 24 have reached the spending target of 2%. As of 2021, only six members had achieved this benchmark.

Last year, the Czech Ministry of Defense allocated 166.8 billion Czech crowns for defense expenditures, equivalent to 2.09% of the country's GDP based on a macroeconomic forecast published in November, fulfilling its promise a year ahead of schedule.

Defense Minister Jana Černochová emphasized the new legal guarantees for defense funding. According to her, the defense budget should be increased "in the future," as the 2% of GDP should be viewed as a "floor, not a ceiling."

A final review of NATO expenditures is expected in the second quarter of this year, when the alliance will assess both the methodology and the official GDP figures.

Background. Previously, Mind reported that the construction of the largest NATO base in Europe has begun in Romania. The construction cost is estimated at 2.5 billion euros.