Posted on 06/25/2025 6:51:22 AM PDT by delta7
Spain wants a carve-out from NATO's likely future defense spending goal of 5 percent of GDP, the country's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said ahead of next week's high-stakes alliance summit in The Hague.
"Spain will continue to fulfil its duty in the years and decades ahead and will continue to actively contribute to the European security architecture. However, Spain cannot commit to a specific spending target in terms of GDP at this summit," Sánchez told NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte in a letter seen by POLITICO.
Spain has the lowest military spending of any NATO member, allocating just 1.3 percent of its GDP to defense in 2024. Sánchez said earlier this year that Russia didn't pose an immediate security threat to Spain.
NATO countries meet next week for the first alliance summit since Donald Trump's return to the White House. The U.S. president wants members to spend 5 percent of their GDP on defense, a big jump from the current 2 percent target, which Madrid will reach only this year.
To placate Trump, Rutte has proposed that the 5 percent target should include 3.5 percent of GDP on purely military expenditures and 1.5 percent for defense-related items such as military mobility and cybersecurity. NATO’s decision-making process is consensus-based, meaning one ally can block the other 31 with a veto. Earlier this month, Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles said Madrid would not prevent NATO allies from agreeing to a new 5 percent target, but that her country would stick to 2 percent for now.
"Of course, it is not our intention to limit the spending ambitions of other allies or to obstruct the outcome of the upcoming summit," the Sánchez letter reads, asking for either flexible wording that would make the target optional or a proper carve-out for Spain.
In contrast, Swedish political parties on Thursday agreed to meet the 5 percent target by 2032 and to borrow as much as 300 billion krona (€27 billion) to do so.
Sánchez argued that Spain doesn't need to spend 5 percent of its GDP to fulfill its so-called capability targets, meaning new objectives of weapons inventory agreed by NATO defense ministers earlier this month.
He also wrote that a 5 percent defense spending goal would jeopardize the country’s welfare system, force the government to increase taxes on the middle class, scale back commitments to the green transition and curtail international development cooperation.
“It is the legitimate right of every government to decide whether or not they are willing to make those sacrifices,” he wrote.
Rushing to 5 percent would also force Madrid to buy off-the-shelf equipment instead of fostering its own industrial base, as well as take money away from welfare policies, Sánchez also wrote.
The Spanish Socialist party is in a coalition with the junior left-wing Sumar party, which opposes increased defense spending and whose members are expected to attend a counter-summit for peace in parallel to the NATO summit.
Europe has to make a “very tough” decision: Either continue with their Population Replacement Program (PRP) and pay the huge welfare costs involved, or beef up their military to fight some enemy that they imagine.
Most likely they’ll stick with the PRP, although most will make noises regarding their military spending plans...until Trump leaves office.
Welfare is more important than defense. What a bunch of clowns.
Europe is in so much trouble. There will be riots if they cut back on social spending. Like blue states, they are nearly out of other people’s money.
PIGS
Because its socialist “green energy” policies have screwed up the economy.
Well, seems like there’s a win-win solution here. Make the welfare program a military program. Here’s your enlistment papers, we’ve found you help.
The U.S. has two large military bases in Spain. Imagine the steady waterfall of money that brings into their local economy. Just saying.
Trump: If Spain is not committed to the 5% by the end of the day I will demand that they leave or we will withdraw from NATO. Your call guys.
At least Spain is honest about it.
None of the other will hit the target either, though they promise to do so.
Uh, nope!
I would love to see the other countries reaction if President Trump said to them "Either Spain goes or we go, you guys can choose."
Well, I’ve never been to Spain...................
History. During the Roman Empire, Spain was always geographically out of the way and enjoyed centuries of peace and prosperity. They didn’t build forts or military infrastructure. Lots of wealthy farm estates.
When the barbarian raids got there, Spain was helpless.
>> besides that, they are broke….what a shame.
Windmills and solar panels are expensive, man! But the earth has a fever and they can’t just stand idly by while Gaia is sick!
Putin is saddened. Slapped down by Trump and now this!
Great. They want us to protect them, but they don’t want to help pay for it.
500 million Europeans expecting 330 million Americans to protect them from 160 million Russians - Polish Prime Minister.
Europe is in so much trouble. There will be riots if they cut back on social spending.
——————
Very easy to see the EU breaking up…..the EU was just another failed experiment designed to challenge the US…..they are a bigger enemy to us than Russia is.
If Russia isn’t a threat to Spain, then why are we paying to defend them? We should immediately pull out. Let socialist Spain defend themselves.
Iron and clay.
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