Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at the NATO Summit in The Hague

At a critical moment for the Alliance, amid an increasingly volatile security environment, NATO leaders will convene in The Hague on June 24 and 25. A central agenda item will be strengthening the Alliance's defense capabilities.

A key issue requiring consensus among Alliance leaders is the approval of NATO’s new defense investment plan, which raises the bar for defense spending and investment among member states. The plan mandates a target of 5% of GDP in the coming years, with 3.5% allocated to direct defense spending and 1.5% to security and defense-related investments, including infrastructure, industry, and resilience. While the initial timeline for meeting this commitment is set for 2035, it remains under discussion and will be a focal point for leaders at the summit.

Greece currently allocates over 3% of its GDP to defense, placing it among the core group of NATO countries surpassing the current 2% GDP target. Recently, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis outlined Greece’s 12-year, €25 billion defense armament program. Greece has consistently met its NATO commitments, even during the challenging period of its fiscal crisis, a point the Prime Minister is expected to emphasize. Mitsotakis has been among the first European leaders to advocate for increased and smarter investments in collective European defense, pushing for a robust European defense pillar that complements NATO.

By the end of the year, all Alliance members are expected to meet the 2% GDP defense spending target established in 2014. Since the start of the year, several member states that previously fell short have announced increases in their defense budgets.

The summit program begins Tuesday evening with a dinner hosted by the Dutch royal couple in honor of the leaders. The main summit proceedings will take place from Wednesday morning until noon.