9 June 2005

NATO-Russia defence expenditures available online News Defence Ministers Meeting 9-10 June 2005 Official texts 09/06/2005 - NATO NATO-Russia compendium of Financial and Economic Data relating to Defence Background NATO's defence expenditures On the occasion of a meeting of NATO Defence Ministers in Brussels, the Alliance released on 9 June figures on the defence expenditures of the 26 NATO countries and Russia from 1980 to 2004. The figures are available on the NATO Web site. NATO publishes the defence expenditures of its member countries each year, but this is the first time that the figures include all the countries of the NATO-Russia Council, which brings together the 26 NATO countries and Russia as equal partners. The figures in the NATO-Russia compendium of financial and economic data relating to defence represent payments actually made or to be made during the course of the fiscal year. They are based on the NATO definition of defence expenditures. In view of the differences between this and national definitions, the figures shown may diverge considerably from those which are quoted by national authorities or given in national budgets.