On Monday, Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Álvarez emphasized the need for a “European army” to bolster regional security independent of U.S. influence.
Álvarez has frequently championed the establishment of an EU army, a notion he has reiterated particularly over the last few months. Once again, the Foreign Affairs Minister called for this initiative. in an interview with public broadcaster RTVE.
“Europe needs to take a significant step towards sovereignty,” Alvarez stated. “That’s why I believe the time has come for a unified security and deterrence strategy in Europe, irrespective of what the U.S. advocates, as our American friends have long encouraged us to do.”
Álvarez is set to join Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez at the upcoming NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey. He has also previously described a prospective “European Army” as a means for “common security for Europe,” asserting that it wouldn’t compete with NATO or replace the national forces of EU member states.
Spain’s ongoing reluctance to increase its defense spending in line with NATO commitments has created tension with both European allies and the United States. Former President Donald Trump has been particularly vocal in his criticism, pointing out Spain’s failures to meet NATO’s 5% GDP spending standard.
The Spanish government defends its current spending rate of 2.1%, claiming it is “sufficient” to fulfill its obligations to the alliance, a statement echoed by Defense Minister Margarita Robles.
In his interview with RTVE, Foreign Minister Álvarez defended Spain’s defense budget, arguing that European nations are meeting their NATO obligations.
“Let’s look at the real figures. Spain is at 2 percent capacity, which is what matters in defense. Not every NATO ally present at the summit can confidently make the same claim as Spain. There are two allies below 2 percent,” Álvarez noted. “And there are three allies that haven’t met the capabilities requested by NATO for collective defense.”
“So, once again, what we hope to assert is that we are fulfilling our commitments,” he added.
As reported back in 2025, Spain ranked among the lower performers in NATO, with defense spending at just 1.3% of its GDP in 2024, slightly increasing to 2.1% since then. The Spanish administration has defended its spending strategy, citing “rigorous studies” that suggest meeting NATO standards. However, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has raised doubts about this assessment. affirm “I think time will tell,” he remarked to journalists in June.
Trump, speaking to reporters at the White House alongside Rutte, labeled Spain’s reluctance to meet its NATO commitments as a “horror show.”
“We’re disappointed in most of it,” Trump said at the time. “Spain is a horror show. From your perspective, Spain is terrible.” He added, “They don’t want to pay anything. They think they’re getting a free ride. Spain is not a good group, never will be.”
