NATO/Summit: Portugal prepared to adopt conclusions of meeting that marks new phase, says Luís Montenegro

The Prime Minister assured today that Portugal is prepared to accept the conclusions that emerge from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit, which “marks a new phase” for the Atlantic Alliance due to new commitments to Defense spending.

“Portugal is prepared to be part of a summit that marks a new phase, that guarantees the unity of the Atlantic Alliance, that guarantees solidarity between Europe, the United States, Canada”, said Luís Montenegro in statements to Portuguese journalists in the Dutch city of The Hague, where the second and final day of the NATO summit is taking place today.

“[The investment in the area of ​​Defense] ensures that we, together, can continue to assure our citizens that their rights, freedoms and guarantees are safeguarded, that we can have our democracies functioning and that we can have a collective capacity to face the threats that loom over us at various levels, not only from a territorial point of view, but also from a technological point of view”, listed the head of Government, highlighting the need for “solidarity” between allies.

“We will all have to make an effort”, said Luís Montenegro.

NATO's 32 leaders are meeting today at a summit to reach a new commitment to spend more on defense in the face of global geopolitical instability.

Allies must commit to spending 3.5% of gross domestic product (GDP) on traditional military spending (armed forces, equipment and training) and an additional 1.5% of GDP on dual-use civilian-military infrastructure (such as cybersecurity, strategic readiness and resilience) over the coming years, up from the current target of 2%.