PORTUGAL, NATO AND DEFENCE EXPENDITURE: RECENT TRENDS, BUDGET STRUCTURE, AND STRATEGIC REINFORCEMENT

Resumo

This article examines Portuguese defence expenditure between 2014 and 2024, with particular attention to its recent trajectory, its share of gross domestic product, and its internal budget structure. Although debates on burden sharing within the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) frequently focus on the 2% of gross domestic product benchmark, the interpretation of defence effort also requires consideration of expenditure composition and the strategic setting in which it is situated. Using a descriptive and contextual approach, the article shows that Portugal increased defence expenditure in both absolute and relative terms, while remaining below the NATO reference threshold and maintaining a budget structure centred on personnel expenditure. The analysis places this trajectory within the post-adjustment decade that followed the international financial assistance programme, situates it in the recent European context of strategic reinforcement, and points to the need for further examination of the budgetary conditions associated with more demanding commitments.