Faced with a new security landscape and the demands of Sweden’s NATO membership, it is time to reassess the longstanding erosion of the country’s defense capabilities and prioritize national defense over foreign aid, three Sweden Democrat MPs argue in an op-ed.
Long-time party leader Jimmie Åkesson, together with two other MPs, said the government’s decision to step back from the traditional commitment of spending 1% of GDP on foreign aid is being challenged by the social democrat opposition party. SD criticizes the opposition for failing to face the reality that foreign aid programs have proven to be both ineffective and corrupt.
“By restructuring foreign aid, we can instead focus on efforts that alleviate suffering and prevent death. Effective aid can also help reduce forced migration while strengthening Swedish security and promoting Sweden’s interests globally,” the SD politicians write in Expressen.
Sweden currently allocates 56 billion SEK (€5.17 bn) annually to foreign aid under a three-year framework that runs through 2025. In the 2025 budget proposal, the government suggests slightly reducing that amount to 53 billion SEK (€4.89 bn) per year for the 2026–2028 period.
To reach NATO’s new looming defense spending goal of 5% of GDP, Sweden would have to increase its annual defense budget by 183%.
