The Diplomat
The agreement between the head of the Executive, Pedro Sánchez, and the President of the United States, Joe Biden, to increase from four to six the number of American destroyers at the Rota naval base could generate a new political storm in the coalition government. The PP has already announced that it will support the measure, which will guarantee its approval in the Spanish Parliament despite the more than foreseeable opposition of Sánchez’s minority partner, Unidas Podemos, and its parliamentary allies.
In the Joint Declaration agreed by Sánchez and Biden this past Tuesday in Madrid, at the end of their first major bilateral meeting precisely on the eve of the NATO Summit, the two leaders pledged to expand cooperation between Spain and the US in defense matters “through the permanent stationing of additional US warships in Rota”. Specifically, the United States has requested Spain’s authorization to send two additional destroyers to the base in Rota, which will therefore increase from the current four to six.
This change, which will force an increase of 600 in the number of US military personnel at Rota and a revision of the 1988 Bilateral Agreement between Spain and the United States, must be approved by the Council of Ministers and subsequently endorsed by the Spanish Parliament. “I am convinced that we are going to get it out”, declared Pedro Sánchez yesterday to the SER radio station. According to the President of the Government, “there will be no problems” in obtaining the support of the PP, despite its “absolutely destructive and negationist” attitude. Likewise, Sánchez asked for “reflection” from the parties to the left of the PSOE so that they understand the need to increase NATO’s deterrence capacity. “Neither Europe nor NATO are expansionist organizations,” he added.
In the same vein, the Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, assured that the Government has “no doubt that it will be approved in Parliament” because “it is something good for security, not only for the members of the Atlantic Alliance, but for security in the world”. “This is a state policy, a state policy with a capital ‘A’, which transcends bilateral relations with the United States,” she added.
Indeed, the secretary general of the PP, Cuca Gamarra, announced yesterday that her party will approve the U.S. request because her formation “will not fail the Spanish people.” “In these issues that have to do with our situation in the framework of defense and security, we will rise to the occasion,” she assured. “Above the party, there is the country,” he added. With the support of the PP, the expansion of the U.S. military presence in Rota has already secured the 120 votes of the PSOE, the 88 of the Popular Party and the nine of Ciudadanos, which has also pledged to support it. These supports add up to at least 217 votes, more than enough to move the proposal forward.
Podemos and ERC
As for Unidas Podemos, the ministers of this formation have chosen not to pronounce for the moment, in attention to its commitment with the PSOE to get out of the way on issues related to the NATO Summit. On the other hand, the president of the parliamentary group of Unidas Podemos, Jaume Asens, already announced yesterday, in declarations from the Congress, his opposition to the agreement between Biden and Sánchez because “it means more military, more American destroyers and, therefore, a greater dependence or submission of Spain before the United States”. In any case, he specified that the direction of his vote had not yet been discussed within his party, although he made it clear that it is “evident” that his opinion is “different” from that of the PSOE.
For its part, ERC announced yesterday that it will vote against the agreement because its party “will never be in favor” of “everything that is a military increase”, according to its Defense spokesman in the Lower House, Gerard Álvarez. Likewise, the spokesman for Más País, Íñigo Errejón, was also against this measure, because it is “obvious” that “Spain is not at war”, and criticized the “warlike language” of the Government. Joan Baldoví, from Compromís, also expressed his disagreement with the agreement between Joe Biden and Pedro Sánchez, but did not advance his party’s vote.
No urgency
In any case, Moncloa sources said yesterday that the Government does not plan to approve the modification of the bilateral defence agreement with the United States as a matter of urgency, as the US administration must first legally formalise its willingness to send the two new destroyers.
Following the agreement reached on Tuesday between Biden and Sánchez, the United States must finalise the aspects for the arrival of the destroyers, which will be added to the four that have been permanently stationed in Rota since 2014 and 2015.
Consequently, the arrival of the two new ships will not take place imminently because, among other things, work must first be carried out at the Rota base, which is already included in the US budget.
