The Czech Chamber of Deputies yesterday approved the cabinet’s proposal to increase defence spending to at least 3% of gross domestic product (GDP) after a closed debate, with votes from the coalition parties and the former coalition Pirates.
The motion was presented by Defence Minister Jana Cernochova (ODS) after the agreement of the parliamentary factions.
MPs from the opposition ANO and Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) did not take part in the vote in protest at the government’s move to push for a closed session of the parliament, citing the presentation of classified information.
Coalition politicians described the absence of both parties as evidence of an attempt to turn the proceedings into a show for the cameras. The closed part of the meeting, which was initiated by ANO, lasted about four hours, most of which was attended by President Petr Pavel.
In the resolution adopted, the Chamber of Deputies fully supported “all steps leading to the modernisation of the army and the development of their capabilities for the benefit of the Czech Republic’s defence capability and in accordance with its alliance commitments.” The MPs argued that stable and predictable funding is necessary for the defence of the country.
“The current framework of defence spending is not sufficient to make up for the past deficit in the country’s defence capability over the next few years,” the resolution states.
Therefore, President Petr Pavel supported the government’s proposal to “increase defence spending to a minimum level of 3% of GDP by 2030 at the latest, while ensuring that these funds are spent efficiently and effectively”. At the same time, the resolution asked the government to submit an update of the medium-term outlook.
It also called on the cabinet to strengthen European defence and defence industrial capabilities and to cooperate more closely in building them, while maintaining NATO as the main pillar of defence.
The Chamber also stated that, pending a lasting and just peace in Ukraine, it was essential to continue activities in support of the embattled country, including the supply of military equipment, training of troops, and humanitarian support. “Ukraine and its armed forces are currently the first line of defence for the whole of Europe against Russian aggression,” the resolution reads.
MPs also pointed out that the security and defence of a country is a matter for the whole of society and that external security is necessarily linked to internal security. They therefore called on the government to support the development of the integrated rescue system and the preparedness of the population for crisis situations. The cabinet should take into account, to the maximum extent possible, the involvement of domestic industry and scientific institutions in the modernisation of the armed forces.
It should also review the legal norms in terms of crisis preparedness and the need to accelerate the completion of defence capabilities and infrastructure and submit the necessary amendments.
The resolution was passed despite polling suggesting that only one-third of Czechs want defence spending to increase, while almost half consider the current defence spending of 2% of GDP to be sufficient. According to a survey conducted by the Median agency in February for Czech Radio, one-quarter of citizens would like defence spending to fall below 2%.
