The Spanish government informs Brussels that it will increase defense spending to 2% of GDP by 2030

The Spanish government has announced it will increase defense spending up to 2% of GDP in 2030as stated in the Stability Program 2022-2025 that the executive presented this Friday before sending it to the European Commission.

In this way, the government specifies the terms of the announcement by the president, Pedro Sánchez, in March to increase military spending to that percentage of gross domestic product. At the time, Sánchez limited himself to saying that 2% would be achieved “in the next few years”, without giving further details.

The government’s plans sent to Brussels ensure that this target is “gradually” achieved, so that by 2023 Defense resources would increase by a tenth, from the current 1% to 1.1%. For 2024 and 2025, it would increase by another tenth to 1.2% of GDP. This budget increase would be used for compensation of workers, intermediate consumption, gross capital formation and reinforcement of defense personnel, as stated in the text.

The document was presented Friday by the First Vice President and Minister of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation, Nadia Calvinoin a joint conference with the Minister of Finance and Public Administration, Mary Jesus Monterowhere they announced the reduction of their growth forecast for the Spanish economy to 4.3% for this year, 2.7 percentage points less than their previous estimates (7%), in a context of high uncertainty due to the impact of the war in Ukraine and the escalation of prices.

Raise “undelayed” for Sánchez

Sánchez pointed out in a televised interview on March 14 that Spain needs to increase its defense budget in order to gradually reach NATO’s target of 2% of GDP. As he indicated, this is the government’s commitment and it will present it to the rest of the political groups when it is time to prepare the next general state budgets.

However, Sánchez stated that day that Spanish defense spending is currently about 1.40% of GDP and on the contrary, the document sent to Brussels this Friday estimates it at 1%.

Advertisement generated rejection in its coalition partner, United We Can, which opposed increasing military spending as well as sending arms to the war in Ukraine, which was already underway.

Despite the criticism, the head of the executive defended reaching 2% of GDP “in the next few years” and described it as “undelayed”, although he clarified that “there is no military fickleness”, but rather the desire for peace and defend democracy.