As all of Europe ramps up its military budget, Macedonia too says it will follow the trend - but slowly and with a condition. Defense Minister Vlado Misajlovski stated that the country has a plan to gradually increase defense spending each year, but that delivery depends on the domestic economy and on what each government can afford.

„Macedonia has a plan, the plan is to increase it by a certain percentage every year, but that depends on the domestic economy", Misajlovski said. As a minimum target he pointed to reaching 3.5 percent of GDP over the next decade, while the 2 percent threshold required by NATO remains a benchmark many European countries also struggle to meet.

The picture is bigger than one country. Military budgets across Europe are rising, and the highest shares are set aside by the states on the eastern flank - those who feel closest to a possible threat. Misajlovski noted that a decision has even been made to aim toward a 5 percent threshold, which shows how fast the topic of rearmament has climbed to the top of the agenda.

The question for a Balkan wallet is always the same: where's the money coming from? When a society struggles with wages, pensions, and healthcare, every denar for tanks is a denar less for a hospital or a school. It doesn't mean defense isn't important - it means the choice has to be honest. Misajlovski at least acknowledged the condition: an increase „depending on the economy". It remains to be seen whether that means wise planning or, as so many times before, just a promise waiting for better days.