Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez walks to attend a European Union summit in Brussels, Belgium March 20, 2025. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo
MADRID (Reuters) - Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Thursday in Brussels that the European Union should focus on bolstering its technological capabilities to defend itself rather than building more stocks of weapons.
Referring to the white paper released by the EU's top diplomat Kaja Kallas, which recommends joint military supply purchases, Sanchez said his "principal objection" is around the term "rearming".
"We have to speak differently, to address our citizens in another way when we speak about the need to improve security and European defence capabilities," he said.
"The EU is a political project of soft power and also we have hard power duties nowadays. We're very committed not only to increase our defence expenditure but also to have this angle of security."
Southern European countries, he said, had different challenges to those faced by eastern flank allies, and needed to focus on strengthening border controls, fighting against terrorism and cyber attacks.
"These are the things we need to take into account when we speak about these new financial instrument and fiscal rule capabilities that we will have for the coming years," he said.
Socialist Sanchez is walking a tight rope as he seeks to keep pace with European partners in bolstering military spending and strategic autonomy, while facing opposition at home from left-wing coalition partners who are reluctant to compromise on social spending.
Spain had the lowest spending on defence as a share of GDP in NATO in 2024, at below 1.3%.
(Reporting by Inti Landauro, editing by Andrei Khalip, Aislinn Laing, Alexandra Hudson)
