Spain has firmly rejected NATO’s proposed 5% GDP defense spending target, with Defense Minister Margarita Robles declaring it “absolutely impossible” due to the inability of European arms manufacturers to absorb such a dramatic increase. The statement, made to Spanish lawmakers on Friday, June 27, 2025, comes as NATO prepares to formalize the new spending goal, championed by U.S. President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, at the alliance’s summit in The Hague.
Robles emphasized that European defense industries lack the skilled workforce and raw materials needed to scale up production to meet the proposed 5% target, which would require Spain to spend an additional €300 billion by 2035. “Everyone is absolutely convinced that right now there is no industry capable of absorbing 5%,” she told the Senate Defense Commission. “We can say whatever we want, we can dress it up or disguise it, but no industry can take it on.” Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez echoed this sentiment, securing a last-minute exemption for Spain from the 5% target, arguing that the country can meet NATO’s capability requirements by spending just 2.1% of its GDP.
Robles defended Spain’s position, asserting that the country is a “serious, reliable, committed, and responsible ally” that “speaks less and does more.” She suggested that Trump should focus on resolving the war in Ukraine rather than pressuring allies to increase spending. Spain, which currently allocates 1.3% of its GDP to defense, plans to reach 2.1% by the end of 2025, a move already contentious among Sánchez’s left-leaning coalition partners, particularly the Sumar platform, amid domestic political pressures and a corruption scandal threatening the government.
The 5% target, which includes 3.5% for core military needs and 1.5% for defense-related infrastructure, has been criticized as a response to Trump’s demands rather than a strategic necessity. Sánchez warned that such spending could undermine the EU’s efforts to build its own defense ecosystem and strain social services like health and education. Posts on X reflect mixed sentiment, with some praising Spain’s pushback as protecting its welfare state, while others see it as weakening NATO’s collective defense.
As NATO moves forward with the new target, Spain’s exemption and the resulting diplomatic tensions highlight the challenges of aligning the alliance’s 32 members, particularly as geopolitical pressures mount and domestic priorities clash.
