Spain to increase defence spending

Spain's headline defence budget is set to rise in 2015, for first time in seven years, by 1% to EUR5.71 billion (USD7.2 billion).
According to figures presented to parliament on 30 September, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) will receive some EUR57 million in additional funding.
The rise has already been criticised by left-wing parties that pointed out that each year the government approves extra payments for the MoD, mainly to cover outstanding debts on re-equipment programmes ordered before the economic crisis struck.
janes