Sánchez now rejects European rearmament and asserts the EU's "soft power."

Brussels/MadridPedro Sánchez brings positions closer with Sumar on the rearmament promoted by the European Union, but he remains almost alone at the summit of European leaders being held this Thursday in Brussels. The vast majority of the bloc's heads of state and government advocate rolling out the EU plan that would allow for a forced increase in military spending and the capacity of the European arms industry. However, the Socialist leader was more critical than ever of the proposal from Ursula von der Leyen's European Commission and stated that he does not "like the term at all." rearmament"The European Union is a political project of soft power," Sánchez claimed in statements to the media.

The president of the Spanish government assures that he is not against the roadmap presented by the EU and has reaffirmed his "commitment" to increasing military spending, as required by NATO and requested by NATO. The EU's willingness to rearm and abandon the founding value of the European club of solely exercising soft power. It distances him from his European partners, but brings him closer to the other party in the governing coalition., Sumar, whom he must convince to accelerate the increase in military spending that Sánchez promised at the last European summit. And also the majority of the partners he needs to continue governing Spain.

Sánchez's criticism of the EU rearmament plan does not end here. The Spanish president is committed to strengthening the "security" of the blog globally and has asked that not only the threat posed by the expansionism of Vladimir Putin's regime be taken into account, but also the challenges that Mediterranean countries face with countries on the other side of the Mediterranean, especially regarding the influx of immigrants. In this sense, Sánchez wants border control and the fight against terrorism to be included in the concept of military spending that will help finance the EU.

In fact, diplomatic sources claim that Moncloa also wants NATO to take these concepts into account when calculating each ally's defense spending. This way, Spain, which is the partner that contributes the least in relative terms of gross domestic product (GDP) (1.28%) to defense, would see its military spending automatically increase and avoid spending more money on weapons purchases and increasing the number of soldiers. This would be a way to increase military spending figures, which is what NATO and the Eastern European countries that feel most threatened by Russia are asking for, while also satisfying its governing partners and parliamentary supporters. who are reluctant to a large rearmament.

Feijóo attacks Sánchez's reluctance to rearmament

Given the balancing act Sánchez is taking to satisfy Sumar and his European partners, Alberto Núñez Feijóo wants to capitalize on the elections and establish himself as an alternative leader to the Socialists, with a greater commitment to EU security. "Europe has understood the challenge it faces, and unfortunately, I have to say that my country's government is not," the conservative leader denounced after attending a European People's Party (PP) summit, also in Brussels.

The leader of the Popular Party (PP) also criticized Sánchez as "the weakest prime minister" at the European Council meeting, which is being held this Thursday, because "he neither has the support of his government nor his parliamentary partners, nor has he requested authorization from Parliament, nor has he committed any amount or financial instrument" to increase defense spending. "We are facing an atypical situation that has never been experienced in an EU country or in Spain," he insisted, referring to the weakness he attributes to the Spanish prime minister, who he believes "comes to give his opinion, but not to compromise Spain's." In any case, despite defending the increase in arms spending, the PP is not willing to offer Sánchez a lifeline.

Just this Thursday, in the plenary session of Congress, the balancing act Sánchez must strike with Sumar regarding the EU rearmament plan became evident. While he vindicated the soft power of the EU and criticized a future rearmament of Europe, the PSOE voted alongside the PP and Vox against a BNG motion urging the Spanish government to "renounce any increase in military spending" and to leave NATO. Sumar, on the other hand, voted in favor. Thus, it has become clear once again how thorny the BNG is. This issue for the executive headed by Sánchez.