NATO countries agree to increase spending to 5% of GDP, Spain excluded

NATO countries agree to increase spending to 5% of GDP, Spain excepted

Spain has agreed with the NATO military alliance to be exempt from spending 5% of its gross domestic product on defense, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Sunday.

“A 5% spending would be disproportionate and unnecessary,” Sanchez said in a speech on national television.

“We fully respect the legitimate desire of other countries to increase their defense investments, but we will not do this,” he said, adding that Spain could meet all its commitments to NATO, in terms of staff or equipment, by spending just 2.1% of its GDP.

Diplomats had said earlier on Sunday that the 32 countries that make up NATO had agreed on a statement for the upcoming summit setting a target of 5% of GDP for annual defense and security spending by 2035, overcoming opposition from Spain.

In a letter sent on Thursday, Sanchez told NATO chief Mark Rutte that his country wanted to abandon a new 5% spending target. The letter raised concerns that Spain would disrupt the entire summit.

At around 1.28% of GDP, Spain had the lowest defense spending rate in the alliance last year, according to NATO estimates. Sanchez agreed in April to accelerate efforts to meet NATO’s current 2% target this year.