Space Industry and Business News
MILPLEX
Spain pushes back against mooted 5% NATO spending goal
Spain pushes back against mooted 5% NATO spending goal
by AFP Staff Writers
Madrid (AFP) June 18, 2025

Spain is resisting US President Donald Trump's demands to hike defence spending to five percent of national output, potentially threatening NATO unity at a crucial alliance summit this month.

The European country ended 2024 as the NATO member that dedicated the smallest proportion of its annual economic output to defence, falling short of the two percent target set in 2014.

Faced with Trump's threats to withdraw US security guarantees from member states perceived as not pulling their weight, Spain has announced fresh spending to hit the two percent mark this year.

But Madrid is baulking at suggestions the target should rise to five percent as an aggressive Russia, whose invasion of Ukraine has stretched into a fourth year, menaces Europe.

With Germany and Poland already backing the new benchmark, Spain could find itself isolated among its allies at the June 24-25 NATO summit in The Hague.

"Many countries want five (percent), we respect that... but Spain will fulfil those objectives set for us," Defence Minister Margarita Robles said on the sidelines of a meeting of NATO counterparts in Brussels this month.

"What is really important is that Spain will meet the capacities and objectives" assigned by NATO and "we cannot set ourselves a percentage", she said.

For Felix Arteaga, a defence specialist at Madrid's Elcano Royal Institute, "internal political reasons" are determining the stance of the minority left-wing coalition government.

Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez faces a balancing act of aligning with NATO allies and cajoling his far-left junior coalition partner Sumar, which is hostile to increasing military spending.

He has not submitted to parliament the plans for new defence spending of more than 10 billion euros, sparking criticism from his parliamentary allies whose support is crucial for the government's viability.

The fragile coalition has wobbled in the past week after a corruption scandal implicating one of Sanchez's inner circle sparked a crisis within his Socialist party.

- 'Cultural' barriers -

In Spain, "high political fragmentation makes it difficult to reach deals similar to those of other countries" such as Germany, said Santiago Calvo, an economics professor at the Universidad de las Hesperides.

Calvo also pointed to "delicate" public finances, with Spain's debt one of the highest in the European Union at 103.5 percent of gross domestic product.

That figure has nonetheless receded in recent years, and continued strong economic performance should give the government "margin" to spend more, said Arteaga, who instead identified "cultural" hindrances.

The Iberian Peninsula's greater distance from Russia than eastern European countries like Poland "reduces concern and urgency... we do not feel threatened, we do not want to enter armed conflicts", Arteaga said.

"The government must explain to Spanish citizens the need to show solidarity" with countries in northern and eastern Europe, he said.

Ambiguity also surrounds the idea of investing five percent of GDP in defence.

NATO chief Mark Rutte has mentioned 3.5 percent of military spending in the traditional definition of the term by 2032, with the remaining 1.5 percent going to security in a broader sense, including border protection and cybersecurity.

At the NATO summit, "everything will come down to details" such as the flexibility of the definition of defence spending and the timeframe to achieve it, Arteaga predicted.

Robles said "Spain will not veto anything" at the summit, calling her country "a constructive ally".

Related Links
The Military Industrial Complex at SpaceWar.com
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
MILPLEX
South Korea in 'final stages' to sign major tank deal with Poland
Seoul (AFP) June 10, 2025
South Korea is in the "final stages" of negotiations to potentially sign a major deal to supply K2 tanks to Poland, according to South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration on Tuesday. In 2022, the two countries signed a $13.7 billion arms deal - Seoul's largest to date - which included South Korean K2 tanks and fighter jets for Poland, Ukraine's ally and neighbour. The negotiations for the potential upcoming deal - part of the broader 2022 agreement - are "in the final stages, ... read more

MILPLEX
Trump pocketed over $57 mn from crypto coin sales

Toxic legacies of mining scar South Africa's Soweto and contaminate Thai rivers from Myanmar operations

Decarbonizing steel is as tough as steel

Look Up secures major capital boost to expand radar network and space traffic services

MILPLEX
Skynet 6A military satellite advances with successful module integration

Skynet 6A reaches integration milestone as Airbus prepares next-gen military satellite

Enveil Secures DIU Contract to Advance Hybrid Space Architecture Data Capabilities

Retired four-star US admiral convicted on corruption charges

MILPLEX
MILPLEX
SpaceX launches advanced GPS satellite for Space Force

Satellites Enhance Navigation Safety on the Mersey with Cutting-Edge Tidal Mapping

Sierra Space Reaches Key Milestone in Space Force R-GPS Program

Children as young as five can navigate a 'tiny town'

MILPLEX
China blaming Japan for fighter jet incidents 'unacceptable': Tokyo

Finland says suspects Russian aircraft violated airspace

India, China to 'expedite' restarting direct flights

Airbus touts plane orders, Boeing focused on crash probe at air show

MILPLEX
Smaller smarter sensor delivers precision vacuum measurement across vast pressure range

New technique links aromatic rings for cleaner production of high-tech materials

Chip-maker Micron expands US investment to $200 bn backed by Trump

Nvidia marks Paris tech fair with Europe AI push

MILPLEX
China expands disaster monitoring with launch of Zhangheng 1B satellite

NASA's Ready-to-Use Dataset Details Land Motion Across North America

BlackSky Gen-3 delivers very hi-res imagery at warfighting speed - 12 hours after launch

Planet Expands Business with Welsh Government for Land and Natural Resource Management

MILPLEX
S.Africa's gold mining past poisons Soweto; as toxic Myanmar mines pollute rivers in Thailand

Longer exposure, more pollen: climate change worsens allergies

New rules may not change dirty and deadly ship recycling business

Sweden's 'Queen of Trash' jailed over toxic waste scandal

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.