Page 8 - AT

A8 WORLD NEWS
Tuesday 3 december 2019
Defense budgets set to dominate yet another NATO summit

By LORNE COOK released on Friday, Euro-
Associated Press pean Allies and Canada
BRUSSELS (AP) — Despite will add $130 billion to their
pleas to set aside bicker- defense budgets by the
ing over military spending end of 2020. Germany will
so the issue doesn't domi- account for around 20%
nate a third NATO summit of that increase. A total of
in a row, the United States is some $400 billion more is
almost certain to demand expected to be added by
again this week that its 28 2024.
NATO partners respect their Germany, the main victim
pledges to boost defense of Trump's ire, says its cur-
budgets. rent spending meets NATO
NATO countries slashed planning requirements,
spending as tensions eased and plans to spend 2% by
after the Cold War. around 2031.
But Russia's 2014 annexa- Aside from national bud-
tion of Ukraine's Crimean gets, NATO also has a small-
Peninsula was a wake-up er in-house budget worth
call. The allies agreed then around $2 billion to run the
to halt cuts, boost budgets organization's headquar-
and move toward spend- ters in Brussels and provide
ing 2% of gross domestic some common funding to
product on defense by A police car drives past Parliament Square, ahead of the NATO summit, in London, Monday, Dec. military operations around
2024. 2, 2019. the world.
The 2% figure is perhaps too Associated Press NATO Secretary-General
simplistic in that its value Jens Stoltenberg said Thurs-
fluctuates depending on to any real security threat and air-to-air refueling, and to hit 1.5% by the deadline. day that the United States
how economies perform. assessment. NATO's deterrent effect is Spain, Belgium and Luxem- will in future pay less into
Moreover, countries calcu- Importantly, this is about more credible backed by bourg spend less than 1%. that pot, with Germany
late their defense budgets national military budgets, the United States. While budgets have risen helping to fill the gap. He
differently; some want vet- not NATO funding. No one Nine countries are project- since 2014, NATO head- said Washington and Ber-
erans pensions included, owes the United States ed to meet the 2% bench- quarters chooses to use lin will pay "roughly 16%"
for example. money, even though Wash- mark this year — the U.S. 2016 — the year Donald each of the total budget
Correct spending levels ington spends more on de- with about 3.4%, Greece, Trump was elected U.S. going forward. The U.S.
don't guarantee that ad- fense than all the other al- Britain, Bulgaria, Estonia, president— as its reference was previously the biggest
equate forces can be lies combined. Poland, Latvia, Lithuania point for spending increas- contributor, paying about
deployed into battle in a That said, European allies and Romania — up from es. Officials concede pri- 22%. Other European allies
timely way and sustained and Canada rely heavily three nations in 2014. Ger- vately that this is to mollify will also pay more, apart
by efficient supply lines. Nor on U.S. equipment like large many will spend 1.35%, Trump. from France, which has
do they have a relationship military transport planes ranking it 17th, but it aims According to new numbers refused.q

Germany: Merkel’s party rejects full overhaul of coalition

By GEIR MOULSON two years before the next a coalition." The coalition
Associated Press election is due. The party agreement "is the basis on
BERLIN (AP) — Chancellor is mired in a long-term poll which we are working, and
Angela Merkel's party is re- slump, which some blame it is valid for the whole par-
jecting a root-and-branch on its status as Merkel's ju- liamentary term," she said.
renegotiation of the nior partner for 10 of the "We are concentrating on
agreement underpinning past 14 years. dedicating ourselves to
Germany's government Merkel's Union bloc has work of substance — we
after the junior coalition made clear that it sees are not a therapy facility
partner elected leaders no need for a significant for the coalition parties."
who want new conces- overhaul. The coalition She noted that both the
sions, but it was unclear deal thrashed out last other parties in the coali-
Monday how acute the year features a provision tion have changed their
risk is of the coalition fall- for a midterm review in- leaders since the govern-
ing apart. Members of the cluding consideration of ment took office without
center-left Social Demo- Norbert Walter-Borjans, left, and Saskia Esken celebrate after whether "new plans must demanding a renegotia-
crats on Saturday chose winning the member voting of the Social Democratic Party, SPD, be agreed in light of cur- tion.
left-leaning duo Norbert chairmanship at the party's headquarters in Berlin, Germany, rent developments." The While she and other con-
Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019.
Walter-Borjans and Saskia Associated Press leader of Merkel's center- servatives are firmly ruling
Esken as their new leaders. right Christian Democratic out a radical renegotia-
They rejected a rival team they haven't advocated a how far their demands will Union, Annegret Kramp- tion, it's possible that there
that included Vice Chan- quick exit. They have sug- go. Karrenbauer, told ZDF tele- may be some room for
cellor Olaf Scholz and gested renegotiating is- A party congress start- vision Monday the new talks that fall short of that
strongly favored staying in sues such as the level of ing Friday is likely to show leadership doesn't amount — and unlikely that the
Merkel's coalition. the minimum wage, cli- what the Social Demo- to a major change "as a Union will want to be seen
Walter-Borjans and Esken mate protection and in- crats want to achieve to result of which we have as responsible for the co-
are more skeptical, though vestment, but it's unclear stay in the coalition, nearly to completely renegotiate alition collapsing.q