Kalinak Doesn't Expect Massive Increase in Defence Spending Past 2% of GDP

Bratislava, February 26 (TASR) - Defence Minister Robert Kalinak (Smer-SD) doesn't expect any massive increase past two percent of GDP in Slovakia's defence spending, TASR learnt on Wednesday. "We can talk about some fractional parts of a percentage, in the case that the hike can be put to a dual-purpose [military-civilian] use," said Kalinak. The Defence Minister pointed out that about one-third of NATO members don't meet the requirement of spending 2 percent of their GDP on defence today, a threshold that Slovakia already meets. "There are countries, which feel that defence is the priority guiding their economic decisions and so they go five percent, some four. In our case, however, this would mean dramatic expenditure cuts in portfolios of some ministries," he said. A simpler way in Kalinak's view would be to have the EU allocate resources for defence under the EU Growth and Stability Pact. mf/mcs