A bill has been proposed according to which annual funding of the Ministry of Defense should not go below 2% of country’s gross domestic product.

Although MoD’s annual budget has been declining from its peak of over GEL 1.5 billion in 2008 (more than 7.8% of that year’s GDP), in following years it has still remained above 2% of country’s GDP. 

GEL 660 million is allocated to the Ministry of Defense in 2014, which is 2.24% of this year’s forecasted GDP. The same amount was allocated to the MoD last year, which was 2.44% of 2013’s GDP.

The proposal is part of legislative amendments to the law on defense, drafted by MoD, which also envisages creating legal framework for recently established state security and crisis management council, which is chaired by the Prime Minister and which has actually replaced the National Security Council, chaired by the President.

Under the proposed bill some of the presidential authorities will be transferred to the government, such as submitting to the Parliament for approval the national security concept; confirmation of plan for military-operative arrangement of country's territory and civil defense plan, as well as plans for development, use and mobilization of the armed forces.