Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has called for Spain’s exemption from increasing the target for defense spending at 5% of GDP, according to a letter sent to NATO Secretary -General Mark Rutte, a letter to Reuters’ knowledge.
Sanchez has called for a “more flexible formula” that will either make the target of defense spending optional or exclude Spain from its implementation.
“The commitment to a 5% target would not only be irrational but also counterproductive, as it would remove Spain from expenditure optimization and prevent EU continued efforts to boost the ecosystem of security and defense,” the Spanish prime minister writes in the letter.
He added that the new goal proposed by the US is “incompatible with the welfare state and our vision for the world”.
Instead, Madrid estimates that it will need to spend 2.1% of GDP to meet the estimated investment needs of the Spanish army, Sanchez said.
