Silina does not exclude the possibility of protection spending up to 4% of GDP reaching this year / day

At the same time, the prime minister stated that she wanted to give the parties to give time in March to understand the offer of the European Council offered by the European Commission (EC).

The head of government said this could give additional opportunities, as so far it has been only negotiations that it could be a budget deficit, a fund. « We need to wait for a specific offer from the EC. We have provisionally worked, so yes, this year, too, we will be able to increase something and go much faster, » Silina said.

Siliņa said the plan could be ready during March, but it still has to be discussed and the plans' road map should be discussed.

As reported, Siliņa and Defense Minister Andris Sprūds (P) said on February 18 that the Latvian defense industry budget is planned to increase to 4% of GDP next year, but to move to 5% of GDP in the next few years.

The Prime Minister said at the time that raising the money would have to be sought, including reviewing the internal resources of the ministries, politicians admitted. The Prime Minister noted that the Ministry of Defense itself should also review how the funds are currently being spent to minimize the cost of « where there is any overlap ».

The Prime Minister sees the opportunity to « go hand in hand » with the home affairs industry, as there are many functions that both sectors overlap. It is necessary to save effectively at the expense of administrative and other functions, the politician said.

Silina said the need for the development of the national military industry in Latvia is growing, because not everything needed for national defense could be purchased abroad. She noted that this is discussed in various formats in NATO, the European Union and national level.

The government today has evaluated how to shorten the supplies needed for national security needs, and has agreed that further development of the national defense corporation will be strengthened.

Minister of Defense Andris Spruds (P) told reporters that the amount of 4% spending reached from GDP is needed to strengthen 26 defense priorities, which are provided by the National Armed Forces Development Plan. These priorities include, for example, investments in air defense, coastal protection, artillery systems, infantry combat machines, ammunition and unmanned devices.

It has already been reported that the 2025 defense budget is estimated at 3.45% of gross domestic product, or EUR 1.56 billion. Going out of these figures to reach 4% this year's defense budget, it should have been about € 240 million higher, while 5% would have required about € 690 million higher.