The Czech government plans to gradually increase defence spending to 3% of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2030, up from the current 2%.
Prime Minister Petr Fiala announced the decision after a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, saying it “shows our partners that they can count on us.”
“We must be prepared to defend ourselves,” he emphasized, noting the war raging in Ukraine.
The budget will rise by 0.2 percentage points annually.
A NATO member since 1999, the Czech Republic has recently launched several major military procurement projects. Plans include acquiring advanced anti-aircraft systems, German Leopard main battle tanks, and Swedish CV90 armoured personnel carriers.
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