NATO's 1.5%: Is this the devil in the detail that could derail the new spending deal?

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NATO's 1.5%: Is this the devil in the detail that could derail the new spending deal?  The new NATO spending target has a 1.5% for non-military expenses. Its interpretation however is vague and could spark "opportunistic" divisions.  READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2025/06/25/natos-15-is-this-the-devil-in-the-detail-that-could-derail-the-new-spending-deal  Subscribe to our channel. Euronews is available on Dailymotion in 12 languages

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00:00After months of pressure from US President Donald Trump,

00:06NATO leaders in The Hague are prepared to agree on raising military spending to 5% of GDP.

00:14But what does that 5% consist of?

00:21The biggest chunk, 3.5%, would be devoted to military hardware,

00:27tanks, jets, drones, soldiers, plus tons of new artillery ammunition.

00:36What about the remaining 1.5%?

00:40NATO calls it defense and security related investments,

00:45in other words, civilian and IT infrastructure designed to enhance and support military operations.

00:53For example, bridges, roads, ports, as well as cybersecurity and energy pipeline protection.

01:02However, experts, including the Bertelsmann Stiftung Foundation,

01:06argue that this part of the budget is vague and open to national interpretations.

01:13The devil is indeed in the details.

01:17A NATO letter sent to the Spanish Prime Minister on Sunday seems to suggest

01:22that the 5% threshold might not be binding.

01:26Spain, for example, will have the flexibility to determine its own path

01:32for reaching the capability targets set by NATO,

01:36with more countries possibly advancing the same requests.

01:41How united can the Alliance really be in its defense strategy while facing unprecedented threats?

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