Written question asked by Lord Jopling (Conservative) on Wednesday, 2 July 2025, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 16 July 2025. It was answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Labour) on Wednesday, 16 July 2025 on behalf of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Belgium: Defence

Question: To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the percentage of GDP which the government of Belgium has spent on defence over the last five years in accordance with their obligations as a NATO member; and what representations they have made to that government regarding meeting pledged defence spending targets under NATO, including the new target of 5 per cent.

Answer: The North-Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) collects defence expenditure data from Allies and publishes it on a semi-regular basis. NATO spending reports are published online here: https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_49198.htm. At the NATO Summit, Allies committed to investing 5 per cent of gross domestic product annually on defence and security, composed of 3.5 per cent core defence spending and 1.5 per cent security and resilience spending, by 2035. We encourage all Allies to meet their NATO commitments.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: HL9053
Session: 2024-26
Related items: Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Written Questions
Thursday, 31 July 2025
Written questions
House of Lords
Subjects: Defence Finance Belgium NATO
Contains statistics: Yes
Link: View this Written question on www.parliament.uk