; (3) ensure that NATO allies meet alliance defense commitments, including through adequate investments in national defense; and (4) work to maintain and strengthen the democratic institutions and practices of all NATO allies, in accordance with the goals of Article 2 of the North Atlantic Treaty. 4. Foreign military loan authority (a) In general Subject to the notification requirements under subsection (b), the President, acting through the Secretary of State, is authorized— (1) to make direct loans under section 23 of the Arms Export Control Act ( 22 U.S.C. 2763 ) to member countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) that joined after March 1, 1999, notwithstanding the minimum interest rate required by subsection (c)(1) of such section; and (2) to charge fees for such loans under paragraph (1), which shall be collected from borrowers in accordance with section 502(7) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, and which may be used to cover the costs of such loans as defined in section 502 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974. (b) Notification A loan may not be made under the authority provided by subsection (a) unless the Secretary of State submits to the appropriate congressional committees a certification, not fewer than fifteen days before entering into an agreement to make such loan, that— (1) the recipient country is making demonstrable progress toward meeting its spending commitments in accordance with the 2014 NATO Wales Summit Declaration; (2) the government of such recipient country is respecting that country’s constitution and upholds democratic values such as freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, the rule of law, and the rights of minorities