NATO Parliamentary Assembly backs 5% defence spending pledge

LJUBLJANA – Lawmakers from across the NATO Alliance gave parliamentary backing Saturday to Allied leaders’ commitment to invest at least 5% of annual gross domestic product on core defence requirements and other defence- and security-related spending by 2035. 

“Allies must coordinate military and economic strength to create a powerful deterrent against any threats to the peace, independence and stability of NATO members”, said a draft resolution approved by the Economics and Security Committee (ESC) of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. 

“Economic cooperation remains an essential element of the transatlantic partnership”, added the draft resolution, which is expected to be endorsed in a vote by the full Assembly on Monday. “Robust economic security instruments can play a key role in complementing military and political means of achieving traditional Allied security objectives.” 

The NATO PA is holding its annual session in Ljubljana, with four days of talks focused on strengthening the Alliance in line with decisions taken by Alliance leaders at a June summit in The Hague. 

They are expected to underscore unwavering support for a just and sustainable peace in Ukraine; highlight the growing authoritarian threat to democracy from Russia and China; and encourage NATO efforts to bolster security in regions of strategic importance such as the Black Sea, the Arctic and the Western Balkans. 

The ESC draft resolution, drafted by Dutch Senator Bart Kroon, issued a series of policy recommendations urging NATO governments to expand transatlantic defence industrial cooperation and eliminate defence trade barriers among Allies; mobilise private capital engagement in the defence sector; deepen cooperation to enforce sanctions on Russia; and avoid policies that undermine the rules-based multilateral trade and investment system. 

In a separate report adopted by the ESC, US Congressman Neal Patrick Dunn warned that Russia’s illegal war on Ukraine has exposed vulnerabilities in the defence industrial bases of Europe and North America. 

“Allies across the Atlantic need to modernise their defence procurement processes, prioritise innovation and strengthen coordination across their defence industries”, the report noted. 

As Russia rapidly increases its defence production, “Allies must significantly boost their conventional forces to maintain a credible defence” and invest in basic infrastructure needed to “enhance overall defence readiness and ensure efficient deployment of resources”.  

Allied governments should ensure “rapid and coordinated implementation” of the spending commitments to work on accelerated defence procurement, boost innovation, and surge industrial output, said Liam Benham, President of EU, NATO and Government Affairs Europe at Boeing International and AmCham EU, which represents US businesses in Europe. 

“Only a strong transatlantic military industrial base will deliver the speed, the scale and the innovation that no single nation or even small groups of nations can generate”, Benham told the ESC. “NATO’s strength rests on industrial interoperability as much as on troop numbers, transatlantic cooperation is therefore mission critical, not an optional extra.” 

Among the security threats to NATO nations, Belgian Senator Viviane Teitelbaum highlighted China’s intensified disinformation campaigns seeking to destabilise, discredit and weaken NATO countries. 

“With rapid technological innovations, infiltration of local media ecosystems and growing cooperation with Russia, disinformation emanating from the PRC [People’s Republic of China] is spreading further and faster than ever before”, she warned in a report adopted by the Assembly’s Committee on Democracy and Security (CDS). 

In response, Allies should block and sanction Chinese entities and individuals involved in spreading false information; boost media education for citizens in Allied countries; invest in the resilience of their institutions; and cooperate with partners facing the same threat.  

NATO nations also need to sharpen their focus on Iran’s threats in the Middle East and challenges to Euro-Atlantic security, stated a report authored by Turkish lawmaker Utku Cakirözer. 

The report, presented to the Defence and Security Committee (DSC), examines how threats from Iran’s nuclear programme, its support for terrorism and military cooperation with Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, and close ties to North Korea and China directly impact Euro-Atlantic security.  

It recommended a strong and united diplomatic response. “Allies must prioritise efforts to counterbalance this revisionist axis, mitigating the disruptive impact of their collaboration and ensuring that they cannot further destabilise the global system”, Cakirözer wrote. 

Such international challenges to the international rules-based order underscore the growing strategic importance of NATO’s partnerships with key regional players and push for stability in its Southern Neighbourhood. 

As China and North Korea buttress Russia’s war on Ukraine, a report by Greek member Spyridon Kyriakis urged Allied governments to enhance defence industrial cooperation with Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea and to expand security cooperation across the Indo-Pacific region. 

“European and Indo-Pacific security are increasingly intertwined”, Kyriakis wrote in a report for the DSC. “Allies understand the significant shared economic and security costs of any sudden degradation of security on the Korean peninsula as well as surrounding the question of Taiwan’s independence.” 

The Assembly, though institutionally separate from NATO, serves as an essential link between NATO and the parliaments of the NATO nations. It provides greater transparency of NATO policies and fosters better understanding of the Alliance’s objectives and missions among legislators and citizens of the Alliance. Throughout 2025, the Assembly celebrates 70 years of parliamentary diplomacy. 

 Press queries: press@nato-pa.int