Spain threatens to disrupt Unanimity at NATO summit: 5 percent standard is ‘unreasonable and counterproductive’

“An increase of 5 percent is unreasonable and counterproductive,” writes Spanish Prime Minister Sánchez in a letter to NATO boss Mark Rutte. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez threatens to increase NATO to increase military expenses to 5 percent of gross domestic product during the top next week in The Hague. In the letter to Rutte, he argues for a more flexible and voluntary system.

Rutte’s proposal for an increase puts strong pressure on the Member States of NATO. No country, not even the United States, currently reaches the intended 5 percent standard. Of these, 3.5 percent should be spent on military affairs and 1.5 percent in safety -related topics such as infrastructure and cyber security.

For Spain, it would mean that the annual defense budget should rise by 80 billion euros, almost half of the spending on pensions. Sánchez emphasizes in his letter that such an increase is incompatible with the Spanish social model. “It would mean that we have to increase taxes for the middle class, shrink public services and phase out social provisions,” he writes. In addition, it would also put pressure on the green transition and development cooperation.

The Prime Minister states that Spain is currently on track to achieve the current NATO target goal of 2 percent of GDP in 2025. He finds an increase to 5 percent not only unfeasible, but also undesirable.

Alternative

Instead of a hard standard, Spain proposes to provide the joint NATO deal with a ‘voluntary’ expenditure percentage, with room for member states to give substance to their defense obligations in their own way. The Spanish government wants to work for a defense budget of 2.1 percent of GDP. In the past year, Sánchez has invested more than ten billion in Defense, a record amount in the past decades.

With the lack of Spain there is a risk that the allies will not radiate unity

Although other countries, such as Portugal have doubts about the 5 percent goal, Spain is the most pronounced in its resistance. Yet Sánchez emphasizes that it is not his goal to completely block the outcome of the NATO summit. “We do not want to stop the agreement for countries that do want to pursue the 5 percent goal. But we consciously choose not to go for that direction,” he explains.

Just before the top this is a major problem, because in principle decisions are made within NATO with consensus. With the lack of Spain there is a risk that the allies in The Hague will not radiate unity. There is a fear that other doubters, such as Portugal, are going to support Spain.

Tensions

The letter from Sánchez underlines the growing tensions within NATO about the course of the Alliance, especially now that the threat from Russia continues and the American pressure is increasing. Under the influence of Trump, the idea of ​​’European self -reliance’ in the defense area is increasingly linked to higher expenditure.

Nevertheless, countries such as Spain and Portugal, which are far from the Russian threat, point out broader safety challenges, such as instability in the Mediterranean, migration and cyber threats where investments are also needed.

The hard language of Sánchez ‘so just before the top is striking. The Prime Minister, leader of the Spanish Socialist Party, is currently fighting for his political life. His minority government is faltering by a corruption scandal within his party and the opposition increases the pressure. Moreover, defense spending has been a sensitive theme in Spain for years, where left-wing coalition partners are strongly opposed to substantial increases. In the run-up to the NATO summit, Sánchez must therefore also take his position on the Domestic Toneel into account.

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