German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius presented a roadmap for meeting NATO's new defense spending targets for individual member states, DPA reported, quoted by BTA.
The plan, which Pistorius presented on the sidelines of the meeting of EU defense ministers in Brussels, envisages that the Federal Republic will increase its defense budget by 0.2% of its GDP annually by 2032. In this way, after 7 years, Germany will allocate 3.5% of its GDP to its army. By comparison, the current share is 2.1%.
This figure covers the target set by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte for regular military spending by alliance members. Rutte also proposed a 1.5% increase in spending on infrastructure that can be used for military purposes, such as railways, bridges and ports.
The increase in these two areas will also meet US President Donald Trump's demand that allies spend 5% of GDP on defense.
The new target is expected to be agreed at the NATO summit in The Hague in June.
Pistorius said the goal was not to "achieve 5% in one year" but to increase NATO's military capabilities.
The new spending will require a huge financial commitment from allies. Infrastructure spending in Germany could be financed, at least in part, through a special fund worth 500 billion euros agreed earlier this year. According to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the 5% allocated to defense would amount to 225 billion euros.