Spain to hit NATO’s 2% defense spending target this year, says Prime Minister

Spain will reach NATO’s defense spending goal this year, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said on Tuesday, as pressure increases on the eurozone’s fourth-largest economy to spend more on its military.

Sánchez said the government will increase defense spending by 10.5 billion euros (about $12 billion) to meet NATO’s goal of spending 2% of the country’s GDP. The money will be used for things like telecommunications, cybersecurity, and buying military gear, as well as increasing military salaries and hiring more soldiers.

Last year, Spain spent the lowest amount on defense among all NATO countries as a share of its GDP. It had earlier promised to reach the 2% goal by 2029. But now it faces pressure to spend more, especially as tensions grow within the alliance and the Trump administration shifts its focus to other security issues.

U.S. President Donald Trump has often criticized European allies for not spending enough on their own defense and has urged NATO countries to increase their defense budgets up to 5% of GDP.

Most European countries see the 5% goal as too high, but NATO leaders are expected to set a new spending goal at their next meeting this summer in The Hague. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has said the new goal should be “north of 3%.”

Sánchez said Spain is entering a “changing era” and that the country needs to “take control of our own destiny” by helping with Europe’s efforts to strengthen its military.

“If you asked me years ago about my government’s investment priorities in security and defense, it’s obvious my response would have been different,” Sánchez said. “That’s not because our values have changed … it’s because the world has.”

Sánchez, a Socialist, leads a minority government that includes left-wing partners who are against raising defense spending. He said the plan to increase military funding will not go through Parliament.

Besides Spain, there are still seven NATO countries that spend less than 2% of their GDP on defense. These are Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, and Slovenia.