NATO is currently taking steps to adjust the schedule of its high-level meetings and has decided not to hold a leaders’ summit in Albania next year as previously planned. This decision has been influenced by ongoing tensions within the alliance regarding defence spending, the situation in Iran, and the conflict in Ukraine.
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said, “There is not yet a common position on when the summit will take place; it is certain that it will not be in 2027.” He further indicated that “if a summit is to occur in 2028, it will be held in Tirana,” the capital of Albania.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte sought to alleviate concerns, stating, “We are flexible with NATO summits. We convene when the circumstances necessitate,” and emphasised that the next summit will be organised “when a necessity arises.” It is worth noting that, until approximately a decade ago, NATO held summits every two years.
NATO defence ministers typically meet in October, but no meetings occurred last month, and none are planned for October 2027. Foreign ministers will have only one meeting next year instead of two, as part of NATO’s “reorganisation package.“
U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have missed or left early from NATO meetings since taking office, with Hegseth using these gatherings to criticise or persuade European allies and Canada.
Albania’s defence spending
The upcoming summit in Albania underscores the challenges the alliance currently faces. Although Albania has been designated as the host for next year’s summit in 2025, its name was omitted from the declaration issued during the July summit. Some member states express concerns that Albania is not increasing its defence expenditures sufficiently and are therefore hesitant to recognise the country with this significant NATO event.
This year, the government in Tirana is projected to allocate 2.15% of its gross domestic product (GDP) to defence. NATO has set ambitious targets for all 32 member countries, aiming for 3.5% of GDP on core defence and 1.5% on defence-related infrastructure by 2035. While Albania’s spending may not meet these targets, it is not the lowest among the 32 member states, as Spain, Belgium, and Slovenia currently show even lower levels of defence investment.
Summits drain resources and have political costs
Hosting a summit has high financial and political costs. For the 2025 meeting in The Hague, the Netherlands required a year of preparation and an investment of about €91 million. NATO needed to decide on Albania by October to ensure enough time to organise next year’s meeting.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan hosted this year’s event at his palace in Ankara, renovating a military airport and deploying tens of thousands of security personnel, which effectively shut down parts of the capital.
Rutte told the Associated Press, “There’s always a lot of security involved. Organising a meeting with 32 allies and partner countries, including Japan and Australia, is costly.“ When asked if it was worth it, Rutte replied, “It is.”
The summit in Turkey proved to be a significant political event, facing issues even before Trump and his counterparts began discussions. Trump revived the controversial idea of taking control of Greenland, a territory of NATO ally Denmark, undermining NATO’s foundational purpose of mutual defence. He also demanded loyalty from NATO allies, claiming they were insufficiently supportive of his actions regarding Iran.
Typically, such summits showcase unity among member countries to deter potential adversaries like Russia. During the Ankara meeting, Rutte highlighted defence investments to reassure Trump that allies are spending significantly on military capabilities.
Despite challenges, some progress was made with new spending targets and military goals set. David Cattler, a Senior Fellow at the Centre for European Policy Analysis, remarked that if there isn’t a clear reason to convene all 32 leaders, the meeting may not be necessary. He noted that meetings might not be needed for two or three years. Still, alternative options exist for emergencies, such as NATO’s first virtual summit in February 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
This article used information from The Associated Press.
