Majority of Dutch back raising NATO spending target to 5% of GDP, poll finds

A majority of Dutch citizens support a proposal to raise NATO spending targets to 5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), according to a new survey by Hart van Nederland published Tuesday.

Of the 2,546 people polled, 56 percent said they favored increasing NATO's target spending level from 2 to 5 percent of GDP. The proposal, which will be discussed at the NATO summit in The Hague on June 24 and 25, includes a breakdown of 3.5 percent of GDP dedicated to defense and 1.5 percent for infrastructure and cybersecurity investments.

The Dutch caretaker cabinet has already indicated its support for the proposal, which would require unanimous approval by all 32 NATO member states to take effect. In the Tweede Kamer, the plan appears to have the backing of a majority.

Demissionary Finance Minister Eelco Heinen warned the proposed increase could come at a high price for the Netherlands. “In ten years, this may cost us between 20 and 25 billion euros,” Heinen said.

Public opinion on the NATO remains nuanced. While 20 percent of respondents believe the Netherlands should always follow NATO’s direction, a larger portion—36 percent—said the country should not always adhere to NATO proposals, but they support the 5 percent target specifically. Meanwhile, 33 percent said 5 percent is too high, and just 1 percent believe the proposed increase does not go far enough.

The planned spending hike is one of the key topics at the upcoming NATO summit, where leaders from all 32 allied countries will meet to make joint decisions on collective security. Under current policy, NATO members are expected to spend at least 2 percent of GDP on defense.