Spain Boosts Defence Budget €10.5 Billion, Prioritizing Climate Change
Spain is set to boost its defence and security budget by €10.5 billion in 2025, with a significant portion allocated to managing emergencies and natural disasters. The country's stance on climate change and its impact on security is gaining international attention.
Madrid is advocating for a shift in perspective, arguing that investing in climate change mitigation is a matter of security. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has been vocal about this, stating that 'climate change kills', pointing to €30 billion in material losses and 20,000 lives lost in Spain due to climate emergencies in the past decade.
Sánchez has increased defence spending to meet the NATO target of 2% of GDP, but he is resisting further pressure to increase military expenditure. Instead, he is pushing to classify climate change spending as defence expenditure. This approach has led to Spain being more isolated internationally, with it not being included in certain coalitions and facing warnings from the US about its business with Huawei.
Spain is not alone in its stance. Danish PM Mette Frederiksen also advocates for including immigration and climate change in the security debate. However, she supports accelerating European rearmament, striking a balance between addressing climate change and strengthening defence.
Spain is committed to allocating resources towards fighting climate change, even if it means going against the grain internationally. With an additional €10.5 billion in defence and security spending in 2025, including €1.752 billion for managing emergencies and natural disasters, Spain is walking the talk on its climate security stance.
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