Spain rejects NATO's 5% of GDP spending proposal as 'unreasonable'

Euronews

19-06-2025

Spain rejected a NATO proposal to spend 5% of gross domestic product on defence needs that's due to be announced next week, calling it "unreasonable."
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, in a letter sent on Thursday to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, said that Spain "cannot commit to a specific spending target in terms of GDP" at next week's NATO summit in The Hague.
Any agreement to adopt a new spending guideline must be made with the consensus of all 32 NATO member states.
So Sánchez's decision risks derailing next week's summit, which US President Donald Trump is due to attend and creating a last-minute shakeup that could have lingering repercussions.
Most US allies in NATO are on track to endorse Trump's demand that they invest 5% of GDP on their defence and military needs. In early June, Sweden and the Netherlands said that they aim to meet the new target.
A NATO official said on Thursday that discussions between allies were ongoing about a new defence spending plan.
"For Spain, committing to a 5% target would not only be unreasonable, but also counterproductive, as it would move Spain away from optimal spending and it would hinder the EU's ongoing efforts to strengthen its security and defence ecosystem," Sánchez wrote in the letter that was seen by The Associated Press.
Spain was the lowest spender in the trans-Atlantic alliance last year, directing less than 2% of its GDP on defence expenditure.
Sánchez said in April that the government would raise defence spending by €10.5 billion in 2025 to reach NATO's previous target of 2% of GDP.
On Thursday, Sánchez called for "a more flexible formula" in relation to a new spending target, one that either made it optional or left Spain out of its application.
Sánchez wrote that his country is "fully committed to NATO," but that meeting a 5% target "would be incompatible with our welfare state and our world vision."
He said that doing so would require cutting public services and scaling back other spending, including toward the green transition.
Instead, Spain will need to spend 2.1% of GDP to meet the Spanish military's estimated defence needs, Sánchez said.
Domestic corruption scandals that have ensnared Sánchez's inner circle and family members have put the Spanish leader under increasing pressure to call an early election, even among some of his allies.
Increased military spending is also unpopular among some of Sanchez's coalition partners. In April, when Sánchez announced that Spain would reach NATO's previous 2% spending target, the move angered some coalition members further to the left of his Socialist Party.
NATO allies agreed to spend 2% of GDP on military expenditure after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
But the alliance's plans for defending Europe and North America against a Russian attack require investments of at least 3%.
The aim now is to raise the bar to 3.5% for core defence spending on tanks, warplanes, air defence, missiles and hiring extra troops.
A further 1.5% would be spent on things like roads, bridges, ports and airfields so armies can deploy more quickly, as well as preparing societies for possible attack.
Several allies have committed to reaching the new spending goal, even though other nations will struggle to find the billions required.
Rutte had been due to table a new proposal on Friday aimed at satisfying Spain and trying to break the deadlock. European allies and Canada want to end the standoff before the leaders meet with Trump on Wednesday.
Poland and the Baltic countries — Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania — have already publicly committed to 5%, and Rutte has said that most allies were ready to endorse the goal.
But Spain isn't alone among NATO's low spenders. Belgium, Canada and Italy will also struggle to hike security spending by billions of dollars.
A big question still to be answered is what time frame countries will be given to reach an agreed-upon new spending goal.
A target date of 2032 was initially floated, but Rutte has said that Russia could be ready to launch an attack on NATO territory by 2030.
The Human Rights Commissioner of the Council of Europe, Michael O'Flaherty, has expressed serious concerns regarding the conduct of German authorities in response to pro-Gaza demonstrations. In a letter addressed to the German Interior Minister, Alexander Dobrindt, O'Flaherty highlighted what he perceives as infringements on freedom of expression and the right to peaceful assembly.
'Since February 2025, Berlin authorities have imposed restrictions on the use of the Arabic language and cultural symbols during protests. In certain instances, such as the demonstration held on 15 May 2025, marches were limited to static gatherings. Additionally, protestors have reportedly been subjected to intrusive surveillance—both online and in person—and arbitrary police checks,' O'Flaherty stated.
The Commissioner also raised alarm over reports of disproportionate police violence during these events.
'I am deeply concerned by allegations of excessive force used by police against demonstrators, including minors, which in some cases led to injuries. The use of force by law enforcement must adhere to the principles of non-discrimination, legality, necessity, proportionality, and precaution,' he said.
O'Flaherty has urged the German authorities to thoroughly investigate incidents of excessive force and to hold officers accountable where misconduct is found. He noted that police efforts to suppress Nakba Day commemorations—a remembrance of the 1948 displacement of Palestinians—were especially troubling.
The Irish human rights advocate further pointed out that freedom of speech appears to be restricted within some German universities and cultural institutions. He cited reports of foreign nationals facing deportation following their involvement in pro-Gaza activities.
'I am concerned by indications that the working definition of antisemitism adopted by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) is being interpreted by some German authorities in a manner that equates any criticism of Israel with antisemitism,' O'Flaherty wrote.
Tensions have run high in Germany since the beginning of the Gaza conflict, with frequent clashes at pro-Palestinian rallies. During the Nakba protest in mid-May, demonstrators were heard chanting slogans such as 'From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free'—phrasing considered antisemitic under German law. The event saw several injuries as confrontations escalated.
In April, five students were arrested during a protest at Humboldt University for chanting anti-Israeli slogans. German police have also taken action against demonstrators displaying banned symbols, including altered Hamas slogans.