Senate Wants Fixed Percentage of GNP for Defence

Netherlands Infomation Services BV, THE HAGUE: The Upper House wants the defence budget to be made a fixed percentage of Gross National Product. 
 
NATO's norm is 2.0 percent of GNP. In 1991, the Netherlands was way above that with a defence budget of 2.8 percent of GNP. Last year however, the budget was just 1.4 percent of GNP, and if nothing changes, it will be 1.2 percent in 2011. 
 
The Christian democrats (CDA), conservatives (VVD) and small Christian parties ChristenUnie and SGP consider more money must be regularly freed up. This Upper House majority wants the armed forces to follow the example of Development Cooperation, for which budget a proportion of GNP already applies – 0.82 percent. 
 
While Defence Minister Eimert van Middelkoop considers this a sympathetic idea, he cannot grant it. The cabinet has set up a commission to investigate the question and has postponed a decision on it to the next administration. 
 
The armed forces have recruitment as well as financial problems. Due to the dangerous mission in the Afghan province of Uruzgan, enthusiasm among young people for joining the military has dropped. Defence State Secretary Jack de Vries faces a personnel shortage of at least 6,000. 
 
The Lower House discussed the personnel policy yesterday. De Vries received support for most of his plans for increasing recruitment. But the Labour (PvdA) coalition party opposed the bonus of 1,000 euros that he wants to give to military personnel who bring in new colleagues for difficult-to-fill posts.