This week, we welcome Marcos Perestrello, President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. He encourages European investments in his defense and believes it is possible to maintain good transatlantic relations.
Faced with multiple conflicts in the world, Marcos Perestrello explains that NATO is currently faced with “ the most dangerous and unpredictable security environment in generations. “Au-delà d’une” very unstable and unpredictable situation “, NATO allies, mainly Europe and Canada, face, according to him, strong pressure to increase their investments in defense: ” The pressure is very strong and has been for several decades. This is not from today and does not just come from President Trump. It’s a pressure that dates back much longer »
However, he recognizes that the pressure has increased under the presidency of Donald Trump: “ The pressure was stronger and more verbal. The words chosen are stronger and often not diplomatic. “According to him, this pressure made it possible to agree on ” the final goal » : « Create a stronger NATO from a military point of view and have a Europe of European allies capable of supporting its defense, at least in conventional means. »
“I hope that the withdrawal of soldiers will not be a reality”
The President of the United States has announced that he wants to withdraw at least 5,000 American soldiers stationed in Germany, or even more in the rest of Europe. Marcos Perestrello is worried about this disengagement: “ It’s not dramatic but it’s not good news. […] For Europe to acquire its autonomy in terms of defense and reduce its dependence on the United States, it would take at least five or ten years and major investments, particularly for the recruitment of new personnel. »
He nevertheless tempers these announcements: “ Political rhetoric often responds to internal political objectives. But this political rhetoric has negative effects for European security. All heads of state must be more careful in their declarations. […] I hope that this announcement of a withdrawal of soldiers will not turn into reality. But what the American president says does not always have consequences in practice. Sometimes the rhetoric is different from the political action of countries. »
“The Europeans are making investments in defense”
Faced with American pressure, European leaders agreed to increase their military spending to 5% of their GDP by 2035. While military spending decreased in the United States in 2025, it increased by 14% in Europe, to reach 735 billion euros. According to Marcos Perestrello, everyone “ needs to make more investment” in defense: “The Europeans are making this investment and it’s important to show it to the Americans, to tell them. HAS”
In the conflict in the Middle East, after the American-Israeli strikes in Iran, the United States criticized the Europeans for their lack of support, which Marcos Perestrello refutes: “ The support that the Americans asked for from the Europeans was given, with a few small exceptions. But overall, the Americans were supported by the Europeans in this operation. The operation is complicated and very detrimental for Europe, but it is positive that European countries are available to carry out handling operations in the Strait of Hormuz for example. […] We don’t really know how things will evolve but we need to stabilize the situation and it’s positive to have availability from European countries. »
