The defense pits political parties against each other.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine and the US withdrawal from European defense under Donald Trump have forced political parties to take a stand on defense policy. In Catalonia, as in the rest of Spain, left-wing parties oppose increasing the defense budget or reinstating mandatory military service. But what is the position of each party in the Catalan parliament on the main challenges facing the continent?

Pacifism is the banner that left-wing parties have historically waved openly. Currently, in fact, these are the parties that openly declare themselves pacifists: this is the case with the PSC, the Comuns and Sumar, ERC, and also the CUP. The Socialists recall that they have always championed "multilateralism, dialogue, and politics in the truest sense" to resolve conflicts, notes Elena Díaz, spokesperson for the PSC in the Catalan Parliament. The Republicans also defend pacifist policies. "We have always opposed violence as an instrument of political action and we are committed to a culture of peace, international law, and multilateralism," they state from the party, which defends "diplomatic solutions" and "the self-determination of peoples" to resolve political conflicts. The Comuns express themselves along the same lines, recalling that they have historically been a "decidedly internationalist and pro-European space" that is committed to "multilateralism, cooperation, and global justice." Juntos, for its part, defines itself as a party that "defends peace, human rights, and the self-determination of peoples through peaceful and democratic means." It considers peace not an "ideology" but a "universal value to be preserved." When contacted by ARA, the PP avoided answering this question, but the party has recently shown reluctance to openly describe itself as pacifist because it sees it as a "naive" stance and instead prioritizes security and strengthening international alliances. This is a position also largely defended by the far-right parties Vox and Aliança Catalana.

This is one of the issues that has pitted the Spanish government against the opposition throughout this legislative term, and has even caused friction within the governing coalition. Wars must be financed, and NATO, under Donald Trump, is demanding that its partners increase their contributions. Pedro Sánchez has presented a plan that does not include reaching the 5% of GDP demanded by the Atlantic Alliance. The Socialists maintain their commitment to defending the international order to strengthen Europe's deterrent capacity and propose the creation of a common European army. The proposals of the PSOE and the PSC do not differ significantly from those of the PP, but in their strategy of total opposition to the Moncloa Palace, the PP criticizes Sánchez's changes of opinion and asserts that his international credibility on defense matters is "zero." The Sumar coalition supports promoting a new European pact that includes defense and coordinates spending among member states. They also believe that the EU should define defense priorities according to shared needs and current priorities. The Comuns go further, rejecting the increase in military spending and stating that "security will not be built with more weapons." This position, for example, is similar to that of Podemos. As for ERC, their "no" is unequivocal. They oppose spending more on defense, "and even less so at the expense of reducing social spending, education, health, or housing." The Republicans also point to the EU as the coordinator of the continent's defense.

Compulsory military service in Spain ended in 2001, following an agreement reached between the Catalan nationalist party CiU and the People's Party (PP) in 1996. This concession to CiU marked a turning point, but the current European context is shifting in a different direction, with the reintroduction of service being considered. However, no party in Spain is actively working towards this goal. In a conversation with ARA, the Catalan Socialist Party (PSC) indicated that they do not believe compulsory military service should be reinstated. "Our commitment lies with the professional model of the Armed Forces," the Socialists stated. Similarly, Junts (Together for Catalonia) emphasized that it should "under no circumstances" be implemented. The Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) echoed these sentiments, arguing that it should not be done not only because "the current context is not the same as decades ago," but also because "forcing young people to do military service does not meet current needs and is incompatible with a society based on rights and freedoms." For its part, Comuns argues that reintroducing it "would be a setback in rights": "What we need is our own independent European international and security agenda, separate from Trump's doctrine and his attacks on multilateralism and international law," the party emphasizes. The Sumar coalition uses similar terms. The CUP has expressed its outright rejection in the Catalan Parliament and criticized the "belligerent" component and the "abuses" suffered during military service. On the Spanish right, the PP and Vox have referred to their public positions. Alberto Núñez Feijóo's party advocates for a professional army, and Vox has also not defended mandatory military service, although its leader, Santiago Abascal, has once advocated for establishing a "social or military public service."

The fourth anniversary of the war in Ukraine has served as an opportunity for political parties to reaffirm their commitment to peace and international law. The unanimous position is that the Ukrainian people must be able to freely decide their future, but the parties differ on what tools they should have at their disposal to defend themselves against the Russian offensive led by Vladimir Putin. The Catalan Socialist Party (PSC), for example, focuses on the European response to guarantee security in the country, but also on the continent. "The EU must continue, on the one hand, to exert pressure with sanctions against various Russian bodies and individuals, essential to halting the war and rebuilding Ukraine, and to demand legal accountability," maintains Elena Díaz. Both the Socialists and the Republicans also appeal to the diplomatic route. The Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) believes that Ukrainians have the right to defend themselves against the Russian offensive and calls for preventing the solution to the conflict from being signed "from an office in Washington or Moscow." "We support Ukraine until a just peace is achieved, one that respects its sovereignty and territorial integrity," Junts agrees. Sumar and Comuns also believe it is necessary to stand with the Ukrainian people in solidarity to achieve a "lasting" peace in the region. Despite its commitment to peace, the CUP has been one of the most critical parties of Zelensky's government, even accusing it of "tolerating" neo-Nazi movements. The debate that the parties will soon have to resolve is whether they support Sánchez's plans to send Spanish troops to Ukraine if a peace agreement is reached. The PP is conditioning its support on a vote on the entire military budget and foreign policy strategy.