Senate security committee endorses annual defence spending of two percent of GDP

The Senate Defence and Security Committee unanimously endorsed approving an annual state defence budget of at least two percent of GDP on Wednesday.

The government proposal of spending at least two percent of GDP annually on defence is based on NATO recommendations. The Czech News Agency reports that NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg plans to say at the NATO summit in Vilnius in July that the recommendation is a minimum spend, not a maximum.

The Senate is due to vote on the issue next week, but according to the Czech News Agency, the unanimous endorsement by the security and defence committee means it is likely that it will be approved. If it is, the law would take effect from July and would apply starting from next year's state budget.