Spain’s foreign minister José Manuel Albares called on the European Union to build its own army on Tuesday, arguing that NATO can no longer guarantee the continent’s security.. He warned that a NATO dominated by the United States may fail to protect European citizens and urged the EU to recreate the deterrence of Article 5 through a unified force.

Why this matters

Albares’ proposal arrives at a moment when transatlantic relations are strained, and European leaders are reassessing defence spending after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.. As the report says, Spain has faced “additional trade tariffs and potential withdrawal of US troops from bases” under the Trump administration, underscoring a perception that American commitment is increasingly conditional. A sovereign EU army could reshape the strategic balance by giving Europe a collective security tool that is less dependent on US policy swings.

In the broader policy context, the call echoes earlier debates about a “European Strategic Autonomy” championed by France and Germany, and it revives discussions that first surfaced after the 2014 annexation of Crimea. If the EU were to develop a standing force, it would require new budget allocations, command structures, and legal frameworks—issues that have stalld past attempts at an EU rapid reaction corps. According to the source, Albares wants the EU to “recreate the deterrence provided by NATO” by forging a version of Article 5,signalling a desire for a more integrated defence identity.

What we still don’t know

The specifics of Spain’s proposal remain vague: it is unclear whether Albares envisions a fully independent EU army or a tighter NATO‑EU hybrid, how member states would share costs, and what timeline he expects for deployment. The report does not provide reactinos from other EU capitals, leaving open whether key players such as France, Germany, or Poland will back the idea or view it as a duplication of NATO efforts.