Within NATO, the Czech Republic has long belonged to the group of member states that spend the least funds from the state budget on defence. For example, this year defence spending is 1.52% of GDP. However, this will soon change – at the beginning of June, President Pavel signed a law approved by the parliament, which obliges to spend at least 2% of GDP on defence every year. For example, Deputy Minister of Defence František Šulc or Deputy Vice President of the Defence and Security Industry Association of the Czech Republic Kristýna Helm came to debate this change. The work lunch was organized by the Institute for Politics and Society as part of the expert accompanying programs of the NATO Days in Ostrava 2023 with the support of the NATO Information Centre.
