European defence spending sets a new record surpassing €200 billion
EDA countries have been joining efforts to improve their inventory. (Photo: Lithuanian Armed Forces)
The European Defence Agency’s (EDA) annual Defence Data report for 2020-2021, released on 8 December, showed that the defence spending in the region set a record last year, reaching €214 billion ($226 billion).
Even so, EDA member states are expected to raise their military budgets even more in the coming years.
The EDA report stated that the defence expenditure resisted the economic impact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and ‘member States’ announcements following Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine signal that the increase in spending is likely to continue in the years ahead.
During the EDA Annual Conference 2022: Investing in
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