Will military spending undermine the welfare state?

Tuesday, Mar 25, 2025

Mediapool

European nations must increase defense spending amid Russian aggression and Trump’s reduced NATO commitment, despite social priorities.

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[This is an automatically generated summary, for reference only]

European countries face a need to increase defense spending due to Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine and Donald Trump’s perceived reduced commitment to NATO. Defense costs are unpopular, often framed populistically, leading to conflicts with other state priorities like social policy. Potential cuts to pension and healthcare spending present major challenges because of an aging European population, which results in fewer working-age people contributing while social needs for pensions and health services rise; for Bulgarians specifically, health and pensions remain top priorities.

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