NATO is heard on a 5 % threshold of GDP dedicated to defense, except for Spain

NATO countries agreed to devote 5 % of their gross domestic product (GDP) to their defense a few days before an alliance summit in The Hague, diplomats told Brussels.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said his government had entered into an agreement with theTake to avoid increasing Spain’s defense expenses up to 5 % of the Commenceas requested by the Atlantic Alliance.

Negotiators of theTake had put on the table at the end of the week a last version of an agreement to radically increase the defense and security expenses of the Alliance after objections of Madrid.

This agreement was deemed to be accepted if no one emitted an objection before 11:30 a.m., which was the case, according to these diplomats. The agreement provides for 3.5 % of the Commence military spending strict sense and 1.5 % those concerning safety in the broad sense.

Madrid, however, obtained that the period to achieve this 5 % target was from 2032 to 2035, which Mr. Sánchez did not mention in his speech, according to these diplomats in Brussels. They also did not confirm an exemption concerning Spain in matters of military spending.

American pressure

The compromise torn down on Sunday was supposed to clear the path for an agreement in The Hague Tuesday and Wednesday and represent a diplomatic victory for American President Donald Trump.

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The latter, since his return to the White House, has continued to claim European allies and Canada which they spend much more, demanding a level of 5 % of their Commencefailing which he threatened not to defend them anymore.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is also on the way to Europe, where he will take part at the top of theTake Tuesday and Wednesday.

Mr. Carney will meet the king of the Netherlands there and, later, the leaders of the Nordic nations to discuss Arctic and Transatlantic security. Recall that Canada has not yet reached its target by 2 %.

Spain opposes it

Spain has just concluded an agreement with theTake […] which will allow us to respect our commitments to the Atlantic Alliance […] Without having to increase our defense expenses up to 5 % of the gross domestic productsaid Sánchez during a statement to the Moncloa Palace, the government’s seat.

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The socialist leader, who had already expressed his refusal to bring defense expenses to 5 % of the Commence by qualifying this possibility of unreasonablesaid that for Spain, 2.1 % of the Commence enough acquire and maintain all the staff, all the equipment and all the infrastructure necessary for face to menaces and challenge.

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We understand the difficulty of the geopolitical context, we respect […] fully the legitimate wish of other countries to increase their investments in defense if they wish, but we will not.

For Spain, spend 5 % of the Commence in defense would be disproportionate and uselesshe said. Having to reach this level would come back to cross all THE red lines Since that would force the country either to considerably increase taxes for the middle -class middle class, or to seriously reduce the welfare state.

However, Pedro Sánchez still said he fully engaged in theTake.

This subject is particularly delicate for Pedro Sánchez, at the head of a fragile coalition which has several allies hostile to any increase in military spending and also shaken by a scandal of corruption within the Socialist Party, of which he is the Secretary General.

Each member of theTakeas a sovereign country that we are, has the right and the obligation to choose whether or not to assume these sacrifices. And we, as a sovereign country, choose not to do itadded the Prime Minister.