STEM survey: Czechs divided over defence spending

Czechs remain divided over defence spending, although more people support maintaining or increasing military expenditure than cutting it, suggests a survey published on Saturday by the STEM agency.

Seventeen percent of respondents said defence spending should be reduced, while 24 percent support keeping it at the current level of two percent of GDP. Another 27 percent would like spending to rise to the NATO average of 2.8 percent of GDP, while 17 percent favour even higher investment in defence.

According to STEM, views on defence spending are closely linked to political opinions and perceptions of security threats. Fifty-seven percent of respondents said they believe Czechia’s security is under threat in the current international situation, while support for NATO membership stands at 82 percent.

Prime Minister Andrej Babiš said earlier this week that Czechia is unlikely to meet this year’s NATO target of spending two percent of GDP on defence. After talks with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, however, he said the government remained committed to increasing defence spending in the future.