Luís Montenegro was speaking to the press at the end of a working lunch with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the official residence in São Bento, Lisbon, where both made statements without the right to questions.
“I want to say, on behalf of the Portuguese Government, that we are available to further advance our schedule for investment in this area,” he assured, without giving a specific date.
The Prime Minister argued that the European Union “must act as a bloc” and agree on the strategy and location of defense investments, without “tripling or quadrupling” its investments.
The Prime Minister explained that the deadline for Portugal to reach the 2% target - which, shortly afterwards, the NATO Secretary General considered insufficient - will depend on a 'task force' created between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, National Defense, Economy and Finance, and which could also be extended “to other areas of governance”.
“He is finalising his work with a view to making the project to strengthen our capacity, especially our productive and industrial capacity, more attractive and viable. But we are aware that in Europe we are not alone, nor should we be alone, and so we will have to align this path with the perspectives of the Atlantic Alliance but also with the perspectives of the European Union”, he stressed.
Montenegro highlighted that the 23 Member States of the European Union that are part of NATO “already invest more than 2% of their product in Defense”.
“I am not waiving the responsibility on behalf of Portugal to do this as quickly as possible and to redefine our objectives. But we also have to act as a bloc and we have to act as a bloc in implementing policies and investments to be more efficient,” he argued.
The head of the Portuguese government said he had personally conveyed to the NATO secretary-general that “Portugal is strongly committed to being an active part” of the valorisation of the Atlantic Alliance’s strategy and made a point of saying that this has nothing to do with the recent election of Donald Trump as President of the United States of America.
“Obviously, we have every interest in strengthening our relationship with the United States of America (…) But Europe will always have to do so, regardless of what happens regarding American domestic policy and its repercussions on the external sphere,” he argued.
For Montenegro, increased investment in the defense industry will mean “greater autonomy for Europe, safeguarding the European economy and, consequently, the European welfare state.”
“It is in this context that we have made this commitment a priority and we had already done so, even before the American elections,” he said.
Montenegro recalled that, at the NATO summit in Washington in July last year, he committed to all allies to bring forward from 2030 to 2029 Portugal's commitment to achieving 2% of GDP in spending directed towards the defense sector.
“It means a huge financial effort for Portugal to move forward by a year. It requires an acceleration of a trajectory that, unfortunately, in recent years has resulted in us not always being able to achieve what was the objective”, he stated.
The Prime Minister assured that there is “a strong commitment” to this goal in Portugal, on the part of the Government, but also of other political forces, in particular, “the main opposition party”, the PS.
Make peace, not war! And spend the money on the people of Portugal who need better health care, more tachers, less homeless. Don't let more people die in senseless wars that are only grandstanding by globalists!
It makes me angry and sad at the same time. Leaders shouldn't lead us into wars but advocate peace.
By Scarlett Verkuijlen from Algarve on 27 Jan 2025, 16:14