The Spanish government has stated that it does not foresee any negative consequences from refusing to reach defense spending of 5% of GDP, which is expected to become a new benchmark for NATO countries at the summit in The Hague.
This is reported by UNN with reference to Reuters.
Details
The publication cites a comment by Spanish Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo on the country’s fulfillment of its obligations to NATO.
Spain will be a responsible ally. Fulfilling our obligations and being a reliable NATO ally should not have any consequences that ensure the capabilities we have committed to and that are necessary to protect NATO.
– emphasized Spanish Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo.
According to him, the country will fulfill all obligations regarding military capabilities, even if spending does not reach 5% of GDP.
It is expected that during the meeting in The Hague, Alliance leaders will support an increase in the defense budget to 5% of GDP in response to the demand of US President Donald Trump, as well as due to the threat to the security of European countries in connection with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The government’s position was confirmed by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who said the day before that Madrid does not plan to exceed the level of 2.1% of GDP. He noted that Spain’s existing obligations to NATO do not require higher spending.
Reference
The current NATO countries’ spending benchmark is 2% of GDP. The new target of 5%, which is being lobbied by individual member countries, has not been officially approved, but is actively discussed in the context of changes in the security environment in Europe