Walter Finch
PEDRO Sanchez has confirmed Spain will speed up its timeline to reach NATO’s 2% of military spending, citing growing security concerns with the Ukraine war as backdrop.
Spain had originally intended to meet the minimum spending target ‘by 2029’, but has eventually appeared to come round to reality following Donald Trump’s first six weeks in the White House.
“We are living through a very important moment in European history, and therefore in Spanish history,” Sánchez told the media after Thursday’s Extraordinary European Council in Brussels, attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Sanchez will inform parliamentary groups (except Vox) next week about the decision, which follows the EU’s new rearmament plan. However it may create tensions with the PSOE’s left-wing coalition partner Sumar.
The Prime Minister highlighted that defence spending has increased by an average of 10% annually during his tenure, rising from below a paltry 1% when he took office.
He noted Spain is currently NATO’s tenth largest contributor and participates in all missions except Kosovo.
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Ironically, Sanchez tried to claim Spain has been a ‘victim’ of its strong economic growth, which has increased the GDP baseline against which military spending is calculated.
He emphasised that security is a ‘European public good’ and the European Commission has proposed flexibility in fiscal rules to support increased defence investment.
Sanchez admitted that ‘defense and security have been delegated to other actors’ – a clear reference to Europe’s historical dependence on the United States.
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But instead of surging national military budgets, the Spanish Prime Minister advocated for joint EU defence investments and procurement.
On sending European troops to Ukraine, Sanchez considers it ‘premature,’ while condemning Russia’s aggression and Putin’s ‘neo-imperialist vision.’
When questioned about parliamentary resistance, Sanchez appealed to shared European values: “What unites all Spaniards? Europe. It’s our life insurance.”
