§ Baroness Williams of Crosbyasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether any assessment of the costs of NATO expansion has been made in relation to each of the five countries now entering accession negotiations with the European Union. [HL2251]
§ Baroness Symons of Vernham DeanNATO Defence Ministers agreed last December, based on detailed analysis by the NATO Secretariat, that the costs to NATO budgets of admitting Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic would be approximately US$ 1.5 billion over 10 years. As I told House on 19 June (Official Report, col. 1848), the cost shares for the new members will be 2.48 per cent. for Poland; 0.65 per cent. for Hungary; and 0.9 per cent. for the Czech Republic. Slovenia and Estonia have not at present been invited to join NATO and no assessment has been made of the costs should they do so.