MOSCOW, February 2. /TASS/. Europe’s defense spending last year grew by 5.6%, which is thrice the world average, the Collective Security Treaty Organization’s Secretary-General Stanislav Zas told a TASS news conference on Tuesday.

"Last year the world’s defense spending was up 1.9%. The highest growth last year was in the European countries - 5.6%, which is nearly thrice the world average," Zas said.

He stressed that this kind of approach to security could hardly be called productive, though.

"Shall we, enlightened Europe, be proud of this achievement? Or shall we stop to think to become aware that there are more effective and less costly ways of ensuring security?" Zas asked.