Italy's Defence Minister Crosetto warns NATO commitments must be met or risk exclusion

Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto told the NATO ministerial meeting in Brussels that member states must honour the alliance’s long‑term commitments, warning that failure to do so could see a country “stay out” of NATO.

He stressed that the commitment is not an immediate boost in spending but a pathway to reach a defence budget of 5% of GDP by 2035. Italy’s parliamentary plan set out incremental rises of 0.15% this year, another 0.15% the following year and 0.20% thereafter, but the schedule stalled after Italy fell into an EU deficit‑excess procedure. Crosetto said the missed increase will be recovered from the October 2027 budget.

The minister also mentioned the possibility of using EU SAFE loans to fund defence investments and criticised lingering EU constraints on military spending, arguing that a clearer, Europe‑wide framework is needed for the alliance’s future.