Estonia: Finance Minister rejects raising defence budget to 5% of GDP

Raising Estonia’s defence spending to 5% of GDP would be unfeasible, Finance Minister Jürgen Ligi stated, ERR reports. Earlier, Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur suggested that NATO’s new defence plans meant that Estonia would have to raise its defence budget from the current 3% of GDP to somewhere less than 5% over a period of 20 years. He said that increasing air defence capabilities was the priority for Estonia. However, Ligi insisted that raising defence spending to 5% of GDP “will not happen in peacetime.” He cautioned against “a bidding war on who can come up with the highest percentage.”