Sánchez and Feijóo put Spain on track for its maximum increase in military spending

BarcelonaThe increase in military spending is back on the agenda with the rearmament that Europe is preparing to face against the Russian threat. For this reason, the Spanish government is seeking an understanding with the other groups in Congress, including the PP, which could be key taking into account the reluctance among the PSOE partners. The president of the state executive, Pedro Sánchez, announced this Thursday that on March 13 he will summon all the parties except Vox to address the situation of the war in Ukraine. "Vox will not enter into the equation because we already have a very clear vision of what its vision is," explained the Spanish president from Brussels to justify the veto on the extreme right, pointing to its complicity with Vladimir Putin.

When he arrived at the extraordinary summit in Brussels, Sánchez assured that he would exchange reflections with the groups and would convey to them the agreements of the European Council this Thursday. On the table will be the increase in military spending that has marked the European summit. An increase that was supported by the leader of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, in an appearance from the Belgian capital after meeting with European popular leaders. The president of the PP regretted that Sánchez had not presented a plan prior to Congress to mark Spain's position: "Most prime ministers give explanations of what they are going to do; the Spanish one does not." In any case, he believes that it is necessary to address the "multi-million euro investments in defence" and that "NATO countries must comply with the agreements on investment in security to which they committed themselves in 2014 in Madrid."

For this reason, he added that "the role of Spain, one of the two countries that has failed to comply with NATO commitments the most, was especially important." In fact, Feijóo had been demanding for weeks to have dialogue with the Spanish president to discuss the future of Ukraine, after the arrival at the White House of Donald Trump, who has announced the withdrawal of military support for Ukraine and has left Europe out of the peace negotiations. According to the leader of the Popular Party, no one "knows" the position of the Spanish government. "When I have the government's position, I will be very grateful if you convey it to Congress," he stressed, putting his finger on the sore spot due to the discrepancies in this matter between the PSOE and Sumar.

Feijóo, who has "strongly" spoken out against Trump's tariffs and has called for the presence of the EU in the Ukrainian peace plan, has defended continuing to maintain relations with the US. Despite criticism of Vox for its enthusiastically pro-Trump positioning, the Galician leader has attacked Sánchez for the "apartheid" that it means that he wants to "meet with all the forces except the third", in reference to Santiago Abascal's party.

The arithmetic

Spain must increase spending by 3.505 billion euros in 2025 to comply with the Rearm Europe plan, maintaining spending of 23.897 billion euros each year until 2028, according to estimates by the Ministry of Finance's technicians, Gestha. In this sense, the objective of advancing to spend the equivalent of 2% of GDP on defense - a commitment of the State - has generated discrepancies in the block of the plurinational majority around Sánchez. In fact, sources from Moncloa point out that they could advance the objective of reaching this rate of 2% before 2029, which is planned, and they are already studying whether they could reach it earlier. However, Podemos is radically against it and Sumar had been reluctant, although it has recently opened up to studying it, in statements by the second vice president, Yolanda Díaz, and the Minister of Culture, Ernest Urtasun.

However, they are refractory to the increase and prioritize improving "effectiveness" and "coordination" between European armies, working within an EU framework rather than NATO. ERC and Junts have also traditionally turned up their noses, but, when consulted by the ARA, they avoid confirming what they would vote on in future proposals. For all this, the Spanish president could seek the support of the PP, aligned with the increase in spending.

As for Vox, they are also in favor of supporting the military increase. Sources from the far-right party clarify to the ARA: "We have been demanding it alone for years." And they add: "Spain should have increased it, but Sánchez did not want to."

Executive movements

Meanwhile, Sánchez's government is finding a way to approve items dedicated to defense through the Contingency Fund, a way that the State uses to approve items that had not been properly budgeted in the past. The peculiarity of this fund is that the money that is withdrawn and allocated to some area does not need the approval of Congress, but is transferred with an order from the Council of Ministers. The most recent example is on February 25, when the use of the contingency fund was authorized to provide a credit of 567 million euros to the Ministry of Defense: the objective was "to cover expenses caused by the participation of the army in peacekeeping operations." On March 4, another one was approved for the ministry itself for 343 million euros. Added to this are the "framework agreements" such as that of January 28, by which "the acquisition of 12.70 x 99 millimeter ammunition, for an estimated value of 125 million euros" was authorized.