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International Internet Magazine. Baltic States news & analytics Friday, 29.03.2024, 10:21

Estonia’s defence budget surges by 21% in 2012

Juhan Tere, BC, Tallinn, 04.10.2011.Print version
The 340.6 million euros allocation for the Estonian defence ministry in the 2012 state budget means that Estonia has fulfilled the obligation taken in NATO to channel 2% of GDP for defence spending, LETA/National Broadcasting reports.

The growth of funding will be the biggest for supplies, for which 99.7 million EUR will be used. 25 million of it will be spent on ammunition, anti-aircraft and anti-tank missiles; another 25 million is meant for communication, management and surveillance systems, including a instalment payment for two radars bought from France.

 

10 million EUR will be spent to buy transport vehicles from Germany and for an instalment payment of armoured vehicles bought from Holland. 10 million EUR will be spent on personal supplies of the military. Actually the majority of procurements are meant to fill gaps that emerged during the economic recession.

 

Defence Minister Mart Laar said that when the state defence development plan was compiled in 2008, it was done in very good economic conditions and the result is that many tasks were not fulfilled or were postponed since the financing is by 30% lower than it was planned to be.

 

International Defence Studies Centre board member Martin Hurt said that restoring supplies is the most important thing since in recession years a large part of them were used up.

 

The spending on the voluntary military organisation Defence League also increased quite a lot, 16.8%, as they have to get modern uniforms, military transport and shooting ranges.






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