“Chega will pave and support the entire path we need to achieve not only a value of 3.5% by the end of the decade, as referred to by the prime minister, but also to possibly take a larger step within a decade, decade and a half, and reach the 5% that our NATO partners are currently referring to,” he stated.
Speaking to journalists at the Assembly of the Republic, the leader of Chega expressed that “it is the function of the largest parties in parliament to signal positively what Portugal needs to do in terms of defense.”
“Thus, I would like to assure the parliamentary majority that Chega will support ensuring that Defense sees a positive evolution in terms of investment, reaching the 3.5% target and later achieving the 5% target requested by NATO, so we become a reference country in NATO and not a country begging within NATO,” he stated.
Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro has committed to reaching 2% of GDP on Defense by the end of this year, which, according to government calculations, will require an investment increase of approximately one billion euros.
In addition to the 2% GDP target this year, the NATO summit, which concluded today in The Hague, Netherlands, agreed that allies should invest 5% of GDP in Defense-related expenses by 2035, with an interim review in 2029. This includes 3.5% on traditional military expenditures (Armed Forces, equipment, and training) and an additional 1.5% on investments such as infrastructure and industry.
