Italy has reached the target defense spending level of 2% of its GDP ahead of the NATO summit in June.
This was announced on Thursday by Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and Defense Minister Guido Crosetto.
The ministers confirmed that a document certifying the achievement of this important milestone—and outlining the path taken to reach it—has already been submitted to NATO.
Italy met the 2% of GDP goal ten years after committing to it. This comes amid broader European efforts to increase military spending.
The NATO target itself is now on the verge of being raised to 5%, as demanded by U.S. President Donald Trump. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has proposed dividing this threshold into 3.5% for direct defense spending and 1.5% for broader security expenses.
On this matter, Tajani, speaking at an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Turkey, stated that he considers allocating 3% for defense and 2% for security a “fairer” and “more balanced” approach.
