Lithuania's largest parties sign agreement on increasing defense budget

The document envisages systematic increase of defense spending, with the long-term goal of earmarking 2 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) for defense purposes, says Laurynas Kasčiūnas, adviser to Lithuania's Parliamentary Speaker Irena Degutienė.

In his words, the agreement was already signed by leaders of ruling Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats, Liberal and Center Union and Liberal Movement, as well as opposition Lithuanian Social Democrats, Labor Party and Order and Justice Party.

Lithuania's current defense spending is under 1 percent of the GDP, although NATO member-states have assumed the commitment of seeking to earmark 2 percent.

Lithuania has come under NATO criticism over insufficient defense spending, the issue was also on the agenda of the meeting between Degutienė and US Senate's Armed Services Committee member John McCain in Vilnius last week.

The first time the agreement on defense policies was submitted to the parliamentary National Security and Defense Committee was back in 2009, but it was never signed.

According to the government's calculations, Lithuania's current defense spending stands at 0.95-0.97 percent of the GDP.

In 2004, 11 Lithuanian political parties committed themselves of granting at least 2 percent of the GDP for defense purposes in the 2005-2008 period as continuation of the analogous document signed in 2001. nevertheless, the objective was never reached.