As expected, the final statement, the document in which the decisions are recorded, is very short. At the previous NATO summit in Washington, the ‘proceeds’ still had 44 paragraphs with views and decisions. The Hague yields ‘only’ five paragraphs.
With that, Mark Rutte is sailing a new course at his first NATO summit as Secretary General: the message must be short and powerful. This prevents endless negotiations on words, points and commas.
And the top, exactly as ‘big shareholder’ America wants it, it really all revolves around one subject: Europe has to pull the wallet for defense.
Article 5
In the first paragraph we read that the 32 allies confirm their dedication to the famous Article 5: an attack on one is an attack on all. That seems logical, but US President Donald Trump sometimes lets Europe shake by sowing doubts about it.
NATO summit is over, what have the leaders decided? In Washington there were 44 paragraphs with views, The Hague concludes with these 5
In the second paragraph, Russia is called ‘a long-term threat’ for ‘Euro-Atlantic Safety’. That in combination with ‘continuing threat of terrorism’ is the reason that the allies record to invest 5 percent of GDP annually to military expenditures and ‘related’ expenditures.
That 5 percent is an emphatic wish of Trump. The deadline in 2035 is three years later than in Rutte’s proposal. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda tells De Telegraaf that his preference, because of the Russian threat, went to a finish in 2030.
Ruttian solution
We then read the elaboration of the Ruttian solution in the third paragraph to limit the costs for Europe. The allies record that they reserve at least 3.5 percent of GDP for military editions and 1.5 percent of GDP for ‘, among other things,’ protection of critical infrastructure, civilian resilience and strengthening the defense industry.
A compromise has been concluded about the pace at which allies have to reach the 3.5 percent. Rutte suggested to ensure an annual increase of 0.2 percent. This way, the defense industry can manage the question better. But this proposal did not reach the finish line.
The allies have agreed to the idea of handing in a plan every year in which they explain how they achieve the investment goal ‘credible’ and ‘step -by -step’. After the top, some leaders, including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, explain this towards their taxpayers as ‘flexibility’ for their country.
The Netherlands can count a few billion extra for NATO standard
And at the explicit request of the Europeans, this section focuses on support for Ukraine. For the first time it is clearly stipulated that allies direct contributions to the Defense of Ukraine and the Defense industry of Ukraine may count in the sum for the new NATO standard. With that, the Netherlands can again add a few billion euros.
The section that follows is about the necessary expansion of the defense industry. According to NATO chef Rutte, this will become an important topic in the year to the next top. The allies agree that they will use ‘trade barriers in the defense area between allies’.
Donald Trump dominates NATO summit in The Hague and gives ‘defaulter’ Spain wipes from the pan: “I don’t let this happen!”
Those barriers have just been created by the European Union again. To the great annoyance of Washington, the Americans are kept in a devious way from an investment plan, while Canada is allowed to participate.
The last section is a thank you for ‘generous hospitality’ in the Netherlands. And the announcement that the next top is in Turkey, followed by Albania in 2027.