Spain Secures NATO Defense Spending Exemption
(MENAFN) Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez revealed on Sunday that Spain has finalized an agreement with NATO granting the country an exemption from the alliance’s 5% of GDP defense spending target.
“We’ve reached a deal that can harmonize the legitimate desire of the majority of members of the alliance to reach the 5% target with the rights of other nations not to do so when they deliver on their obligations,” Sanchez declared during a televised address.
Madrid had threatened to veto the new spending goal ahead of the NATO summit scheduled this week in The Hague.
Sanchez clarified that Spain will not pursue the 5% defense spending threshold, as doing so would necessitate an additional €350 billion ($400 billion) annually.
“That would oblige us to raise taxes or severely cut our welfare state,” the Socialist prime minister explained.
He detailed that the increased military budget needed to hit the 5% would translate into an average tax hike of €3,000 ($3,450) per citizen each year, alongside reductions in pensions, education funding, unemployment benefits, and parental leave.
“Every member of NATO has the right to decide whether they want to reach that target, and as a sovereign nation, we have said we will not. We choose a better balance,” Sanchez emphasized.
Expressing pride over the agreement, he said it demonstrates that “multilateralism works,” and extended thanks to NATO members and Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
“This deal is a success, which will allow Spain to continue as a first-rate global actor, not only in defense but also in economics and multilateralism, because humanity needs more security but also much more diplomacy,” Sanchez added.
He confirmed Spain’s commitment to remain actively involved in the alliance and to fulfill all its military and defense responsibilities.
Currently, Spain is among NATO’s lowest defense spenders relative to GDP. It is expected to reach the 2% target by 2025, rising from 0.9% in 2018.
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