Spain calls for the creation of an EU army amid fears Europe can no longer rely on NATO for protection

By PERKIN AMALARAJ, FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER Published: 10:11, 12 May 2026 | Updated: 10:15, 12 May 2026 Spain is calling for the creation of a European Union army, amid fears the continent can no longer rely on NATO for military protection.  The country's foreign minister José Manuel Albares said NATO, which has been dominated by the US since its inception in 1949, may not be replied upon to provide security guarantees.  He added that if the EU was not beholden to NATO, Donald Trump could not hold Europe's security to ransom.  He told Politico: 'We cannot be waking up every morning wondering what the US will do next… our citizens deserve better.  'This is the moment of the sovereignty and independence of Europe. The Americans are inviting us to that.  'We have to be free of dependence. Free of dependence means to be free of coercion, whether it comes to tariffs or the use of military threat. And free of the consequences of someone else’s decisions.' Spain has been one of the most vocal opponents of the US in Europe. Trump has threatened to force additional trade tariffs on the nation following its refusal to increase defence spending to 5% of GDP.  The US president has also suggested he could withdraw US troops from bases in Spain, and would even try to suspend Spain from NATO over Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez's refusal to support Trump's war in Iran.  A NATO infantry soldier on a beach during an amphibious landing in Greece on February 12 2025 Troops of NATO Multinational Brigade Latvia (MNB-LVA) participate in military exercise Resolute Warrior in Adazi Military Base, Latvia, November 9 2025 Canadian troops working in a NATO multinational brigade in November 2024 Albares said he wants to see the EU form its own version of Article 5, the mutual defence clause which states that an attack on one ally is an attack on all of them.  He said: 'The magic of NATO is that you are in NATO and nothing happens because no one dares to try to check if Article 5 really works or not.  'That’s what we have to recreate – the deterrence. That if you want to mess with me, go somewhere else. Because we will stand together.' Currently, the EU has a weaker version of this - Article 42.7 - which states that if a member state comes under attack, all others have an obligation to support it.  But few believe that the continent has a strong enough military capability to make Article 42.7 a meaningful deterrent.  Relations between the EU and US are fraying. Last week, Trump threatened to place 'much higher' tariffs on the EU by July 4 if the bloc fails to drop its own levies on the US to zero.  Following a phone call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Trump said he had agreed to give the continent until 'our Country's 250th Birthday or, unfortunately, their Tariffs would immediately jump to much higher levels.' But hours after he made his threat, a US trade court ruled Trump's latest 10% global tariffs were not allowed under American law.  No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.