Pedor Sanchez is pushing back against the 5% from GDP that NATO wants allies to spend | Credits: Shutterstock
Spain has requested an exemption from NATO’s plan to increase member countries’ defence spending to 5 per cent of their gross domestic product, a move that Reuters reported on Thursday could derail a summit at which the military alliance plans to sign an agreement committing to the target.
Spain’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, sent a letter to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg requesting a “more flexible formula” that either makes the spending target optional or excludes Spain from its application.
“Committing to a 5 per cent target would not only be unreasonable, but also counterproductive, as it would move Spain further away from optimal spending and would hinder the EU’s ongoing efforts to strengthen its security and defence ecosystem,” Sanchez wrote in the letter.
The legitimate right of each country
However, Sanchez made it clear that Spain does not want to obstruct the outcome of NATO’s summit next week. President Donald Trump has requested that all NATO countries increase their military spending, but for this to happen, all 32 countries would need to agree.
Trump has said NATO partners are not spending their fair share on defence and has threatened not to come to the aid of those falling short.
“It is the legitimate right of every government to decide whether or not they are willing to make those sacrifices. As a sovereign Ally, we choose not to,” Sanchez added.
At an estimated 1.28 per cent of its GDP, Spain has the lowest military spending among NATO members, according to Reuters. Sanchez agreed in April to accelerate efforts to meet NATO’s current target of 2 per cent, but 5 per cent seems to be out of the question. The prime minister said Spain would raise its defence budget by 10.5 billion euros ($12 billion) in 2025 to meet the 2 per cent NATO target.
Russia could attack by 2032
At home in Spain, more defence spending is unpopular among several of Sanchez’s coalition partners. When Sánchez announced that Spain would reach NATO’s previous 2 per cent in April, coalition partners, mainly from the far left, expressed their anger.
Spain is not alone in opposing the defence budget increase. Belgium, Canada and Italy will also struggle to hike security spending by billions of dollars, AP noted.
A key question still to be answered is what timeframe countries will be given to reach an agreed-upon new spending goal. However, Rutte has suggested 2032, saying Russia could be ready to launch an attack on NATO territory by 2030.
