Estonia’s parliament voted on Dec. 19 to approve a 7.6 percent increase in state budget expenditure for next year, in part to bolster its military amid growing tension in the Baltic region.
Lawmakers set 2017’s defense spending at a record 2.2 percent of GDP or 477 million euros ($498 million), up from 2.07 percent forecasted for 2016. It includes extra spending for hosting NATO troops on rotation in Estonia since tensions rose over Russia’s actions in Ukraine in 2014.
