Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez reveals defence spending plan

The Spanish government has already committed to investing 2% of its budget on defence by 2029

Harry Lawley

Friday, 7 March 2025, 14:09

Following the EU's historic agreement to commit up to 800 billion euros on rearmament, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has repeated his pledge to increase defence spending to 2% of GDP by 2029. At the 'Emergency Summit on Ukraine and Defence' in Brussels on Thursday, Sánchez vowed to "support Ukraine for as long as necessary" and unveiled a 1-billion-euro military assistance package for the country.

According to 2024 reports, Spain ranked last in Nato for the share of GDP invested on defence with only an estimated 1.28% of the budget going towards this. Asked about his previous commitment to increase the figure to 2% by the end of the decade, Sánchez told the media in Brussels that "we all have to make an accelerated effort with respect to what we had previously set for the year 2029."

The Spanish Prime Minister also scheduled a meeting next Thursday with leaders of the other congressional parties, except Vox, to discuss the country's response to the war in Ukraine. Sánchez justified the far right party's exclusion by saying that "we already have a very clear idea of what their vision is."

There is likely to be considerable cross-party support for his renewed defence spending commitment. There has, however, been criticism from some quarters about Sánchez unwillingness to consult the oppostion on his foreign policy. The leader of the right wing Partido Popular, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, explained to attendees of the Faconauto 2025 Congress on Wednesday that "most prime ministers give explanations of what they are going to do; the Spanish one does not."

Sánchez's reluctance to openly discuss his plans comes from divisions within his government involving the left-wing alliance Sumar. Sumar's spokesperson in Congress, Verónica Martínez Barbero, recently told the press that her concerns are not "so much related to the increase in military spending, but to its effectiveness.” Despite this, it is expected that increased contributions to military spending will now be accepted by the coalition partner.

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