Sánchez is preparing a defense investment plan to bypass Congress due to a lack of support.

MadridIt has been a long time since the debate on military spending in Spain, a country that united under the slogan "No to war" when José María Aznar sent troops to Iraq, had been so frank. However, Vladimir Putin's expansionist intentions and Donald Trump's threats to fail to guarantee the security of NATO countries have changed the landscape, and Pedro Sánchez defended the rearmament plan pushed through Brussels this Wednesday. The Spanish Prime Minister announced in Congress that he will present an investment plan before the summer, though he has not specified it and, in principle, will not have to be voted on in the lower house. Sánchez has once again stated that for now he has no support for increasing defense spending, and the Spanish government is already preparing formulas for reorganizing the extended budget to avoid needing the approval of the political groups.

"We cannot rely on the goodwill of others or on changes of opinion in Moscow or Washington. We must be able to influence the destiny of the world and share more sovereignty within the European Union [...]. There will be decisions we won't be enthusiastic about and some we won't agree with, but there is strength in numbers. That's how it was forged." That's how it was forged. The leader of the PSOE has insisted that he doesn't like the term rearmament –This is the name given to the European project to invest 800 billion euros in the field of defense.– andShe reiterated that the threats to Spain are related to hybrid attacks, sabotage, climate catastrophes, and energy crises. Therefore, to achieve the 2% of GDP commitment to NATO, she will activate public-private investment programs for the dual-use technology sector (civil and military) and innovation, although she has not specified how much money she intends to mobilize.

In a nod to the investiture majority, she has assured that she will not touch a single cent of social spending. How will she do it? Sources from the Ministry of Finance already commented on Tuesday that there are alternative formulas to credit modifications, which would have to be voted on in Congress. Mainly, the route María Jesús Montero is considering is shifting budget items from other ministries and even from unexecuted ones. Just this Thursday, the minister will present the execution data for 2024. Another mechanism is the contingency fund, but it's reserved for urgent matters and isn't the Spanish government's preferred option.

And there's no clear majority on the horizon. Podemos presents itself as an insurmountable hurdle. "I understand that you prefer to talk about a technological leap, but your euphemisms can't hide reality. You've decided to go down in history as a warlord," criticized the leader of the purple party, Ione Belarra, in Sánchez's comments. "What a shame what you've become," concluded the former member of the Council of Ministers during the previous term. "You didn't call me a warlord when you were a minister and we increased the defense budget," the Spanish president retorted.

Despite the anti-militarist tradition of some parties, Esquerra acknowledged in the chamber that "we must go beyond dogma and the banner [of "No to war"]," in the words of its spokesperson, Gabriel Rufián. "Above convictions, there must be one maxim: taking charge of the world as it is," he said, and limited himself to calling for "better spending" on defense. From Junts, its spokesperson, Míriam Nogueras, demanded that the new investment plan benefit Catalan companies. "Catalonia's role could be very important," stated Sánchez, referring to investments in "satellite communications" and "semiconductors."

In Sumar, a coalition of several parties, Yolanda Díaz is balancing efforts to ensure this issue does not provoke a crisis in the coalition. "Europe spends more than Russia, but it doesn't translate into deterrence. More spending doesn't equal greater security," warned the spokesperson for this group, Verónica Martínez Barbero, who called for "political vision and strategy" instead of reducing the debate to "a question of numbers." In this sense, she considered NATO to be "decaying" and a "zombie," and therefore advocated for an "independent" Europe. Basically, this is the same thing Sánchez has proposed. Doubts about the Atlantic Alliance have hovered over many of the interventions. "We must break the subordination to the US and NATO," opined Mertxe Aizpurua (EH Bildu). "Is NATO still in place?" asked Aitor Esteban (PNV). "We will always try to preserve the Atlanticist bond," replied Sánchez, also referring to trade relations.

The PP opposition

Attacks on Trump have been the common denominator among all the parties, except Vox. Also from Alberto Núñez Feijóo, who warned that he will not have as an ally someone who goes against Spain's interests, in a barb at the far-right party with which he has agreements on the autonomous communities. However, he also made it clear to Sánchez that he will not be "an auxiliary partner when others fail him" and demanded that he "submit to the Cortes or the ballot box." Feijóo asked how this investment program will be financed—"this is the first point of any defense plan," he said—and warned the Spanish president that he "cannot leave here without clarifying whether he will approve the budget."

In his turn to respond, Sánchez went into detail, attacking Feijóo for "not taking seriously" the defense debate and, instead, "offering a variety show." "He is neither here nor expected to be involved in matters of state," he concluded. The Spanish president made light of the budget extension scenario, although the vice president, Yolanda Díaz, also expressed her support for taking them to Congress, even without the attached supports"If there's no time to update them, we'll work on the 2026 ones," Sánchez stated. This will be the most important vote on military spending.