(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Song Jin-won = Concerns are being raised within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) that the growing popularity of far-right parties across Europe could weaken public support for European rearmament and military support for Ukraine.
According to Politico Europe on the 7th (local time), rising far-right parties in France, Italy, and Germany are consolidating voters' dissatisfaction with the burden of living expenses into opposition to increased defense spending, support for Ukraine, and expansion of the European Union's role in the defense sector.
In the case of Italy, hard-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni last week proposed reducing defense spending by 8 billion euros (about 12 trillion won) from the government's initial proposal amid pressure from the far-right coalition partner 'Alliance'.
Senator Claudio Borghi, a member of the Alliance, said, “We cannot spend money on weapons when we do not have enough money to pay for pensions, consumption tax cuts, and utility bills.”
Roberto Anti-Nazi, leader of the far-right Future of the Nation party, which is posing an increasingly strong challenge to Prime Minister Meloni, is also urging the government to review defense spending.
“Let’s evaluate whether this military spending is justified,” he said last week, pointing out, “It is not justified at a time when raw material prices are at record highs.”
The situation in Germany is similar. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), which has been on the rise with successive victories in recent state legislative elections, is opposing the federal government's large-scale increase in defense spending.
Poland's right-wing nationalist opposition Party of Law and Justice (PiS) and the Dutch Freedom Party (PVV) are resisting EU-level defense projects.
Public opinion on increasing defense spending is also not very favorable.
According to an August opinion poll analyzed by the think tank European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), an average of 46.2% of respondents in eight European countries (Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United Kingdom) said they would not support increased defense spending if it meant raising taxes.
There was more opposition to raising taxes to finance military spending in Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Poland. This year, protests against increased defense spending took place in Rome, Brussels, and Madrid.
Far-right parties are also negative about military support for Ukraine.
France's leading presidential candidate, Marine Le Pen, a member of the far-right National Rally (RN), urged the government last month to limit aid to Ukraine, saying, "We can no longer afford it financially."
According to an internal NATO poll conducted this spring, approval ratings for Ukraine also fell from 59% last year to 55% this year.
“People are struggling with the rising cost of living across the board,” said Finland’s Deputy Defense Minister Janne Kusela.
For NATO, where each alliance has agreed to spend 5% of its gross domestic product (GDP) on defense and security-related fields by 2035, the spread of three far-right parties could be an obstacle to achieving that goal.
“We are already in a situation where we have to catch up with Russia,” said one NATO official. “So far, we are seeing a positive trend (in strengthening our defense capabilities), but if someone blocks the flow of funds, we risk losing our (military) capabilities,” he said.
Another NATO official said: "France and Italy account for a large share of defense investment and aid to Chiiu, so a slowdown in (defense) spending by key members like these will have wider implications." This official warned, “If the major powers stop making progress, NATO will also stop making progress,” and added, “If we weaken NATO, Europe’s self-defense capabilities will weaken and Ukraine will become more vulnerable.”
Some warn that the stance of far-right parties opposing increased defense spending and support for Ukraine is in line with Russia's intentions.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius criticized, “The pressure from the right does not actually come from the right, but mostly from Moscow.”
