Spain will increase its defense spending to 2% of GDP significantly earlier than the originally planned target of 2029, though the government has not set a specific new deadline. This was announced on April 1 by Defense Minister Margarita Robles, as reported by Reuters.
According to the agency, Spain currently has the lowest defense spending among NATO countries, accounting for just 1.3% of its GDP. Achieving the 2% target will require approximately an additional €10 billion in annual investments.
A Reuters source stated that last week, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, speaking in Warsaw, mentioned that Spain expects to reach the 2% target by summer. This prompted the Spanish government to engage in discussions with Rutte to clarify that the country will make every effort to approach this level as soon as possible.
This is not so much a matter of deadlines, but I am confident that we will fulfill our commitments well before 2029… We are working on this seriously and carefully, Robles emphasized on the sidelines of an event in Lisbon.
Earlier, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez reaffirmed his commitment to increasing the defense budget to 2% of GDP in line with NATO agreements. He also assured parliamentary partners that this policy would be implemented without cuts to social spending.
