REASONS FOR THE INCREASE IN NATO SPENDING (2025) AND THE POSSIBLE EFFECTS ON MEMBER STATES FROM THE WESTERN BALKANS

Abstract

This paper focuses on analyzing the reasons and circumstances that drive the continuous increase in the defense budget of member states within the framework of NATO. Many questions are related to the possible effects on other budgetary areas in the development of member states from the Western Balkans (Albania, Macedonia and Montenegro), which are at a lower stage of economic development compared to other NATO member states. This issue has not yet been sufficiently elaborated by the academic community because it is new and is related to the decision of the NATO Summit 2025 in The Hague, 24-25 June 2025. The purpose of the paper is to provide an analysis of the effects of the increase in NATO military spending. We will use historical, descriptive, comparative methods and analysis of academic opinion through interviews. First, the international circumstances (Russia-Ukraine war, Israel-Iran, etc.) that prompted member states to adopt the decision to increase NATO military spending will be clarified. Then, a SWOT analysis will be made of the effects of the increase in spending, which member states should allocate for investments in their armies. The paper will also analyze several interviews conducted with personalities familiar with the circumstances of international security.
This paper, in addition to producing the intended results, also aims to provide other research by other researchers, which will be related to international security issues and the position of the Western Balkan countries within the framework of global alliances.
Finally, we will draw some conclusions and give some suggestions that may be useful for readers, the academic and political community.