Spain is right to oppose increasing NATO countries’ spending goal from 2% to 5% of GDP at an upcoming summit in the Hague, former EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell has said.
The veteran Spanish socialist who stepped down last summer, wrote on X that the mooted target increase is an “arbitrary target to satisfy [Donald] Trump.”
“It is not justified to achieve the interoperable capabilities set by NATO and nor can it realistically be achieved without calling into question other societal goals,” Borrell wrote.
Spain’s Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez this week demanded an opt-out from the 5% spending target, arguing that it is incompatible with his country’s worldview and his commitment to the welfare state.
The Iberian country is the only hold-out ahead of a meeting of the 32 member military alliance next Tuesday and Wednesday, where Trump’s demand to reach a 5% target is on the agenda.
When he was the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Borrell asked EU countries to increase their defence spending to above 2% of GDP.
“We must assume our strategic responsibility and become able to defend Europe by ourselves, building a strong European pillar inside NATO,” he wrote in a blog post in April 2024.
Last year, Spain spent just 1.28% of its GDP on defence, but Sánchez promised in April that Spain would surpass the 2% NATO goal this year by spending more.
(ew)