'Among few in NATO under 2%, a problem' says Crosetto

(ANSA) - ROME, OCT 18 - Italy is one of the few NATO members not to have increased defence spending to 2% of GDP as called for by NATO, and this is a problem, Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said Friday.
    "The 2% of GDP in defense is a fact acquired by all nations in NATO and we are among the few that have not yet reached it: this is both a political issue, because we are committed to reaching it, but also a problem for Italian defense, because in a period like this you do not invest in defense only because you are part of an alliance, but because defense and deterrence are necessary to guarantee a democratic future, also for our nation", he said in Brussels.
    Crosetto said that at the moment, the trajectory of military spending in the 2025 budget is decreasing. (ANSA).