Presidential office urges political parties to agree on defence funding after 2030

The Lithuanian Presidential Office has called on political parties to reach a consensus on defence financing beyond 2030, LRT reports.

Vaidas Augustinavičius, the president’s senior advisor on economic and social policy, said parties in the Seimas (parliament) could attempt discussions to align on defence funding after 2030.

“Defence is a fundamental state objective, and we should seek common denominators,” Augustinavičius told Žinių Radijas on Tuesday.

Currently, Lithuania’s leaders have agreed to allocate 5–6% of GDP to defence until 2030, tied to the goal of developing a national division and preparing to host a German brigade. State Controller Irena Segalovičienė last week also proposed enshrining in strategic documents that defence funding exceeding 5% of GDP should continue after 2030.

Augustinavičius noted that both the percentage of GDP—due to international commitments—and the absolute amount of funding are important when considering defence financing benchmarks. Lithuania has allocated 5.38% of GDP, or around €4.8 billion, to defence in this year’s budget.