Spain: Formation of European Security Concept

The article examines issues related to Spain’s exit from international isolation after the end of Franco dictatorship, the specifics of joining the EU and NATO, and emphasizes the country’s special interest in developing the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE) and afterwards the European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP). The author identifies the specifics of the Spanish approach to European security, associated with the refusal to join NATO’s military organization and reduction of American military presence in the country. Subsequently, the aggravation of the territorial problem within Spain itself (in the Basque Country and Catalonia) determined its approach to conflicts in Europe (Kosovo) and in the post-Soviet space (Moldova, Nagorno-Karabakh, Georgia, Crimea). NATO’s and EU’s eastward expansion forced Spain to align its foreign and defense policy more closely with Brussels. Madrid has always given preference to the principle of territorial integrity rather than to the right of nations to self-determination. For decades Spain has taken a very soft attitude towards Russia considering it an integral part of the European security system. Particular attention is paid to Spain’s attitude to the current state of arms control including Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). While following Brussels’ policy on these issues, and fully committed to arms control, Madrid is rather indifferent to nuclear sharing but is always mindful of its national interests, including maintaining a nuclear-free zone throughout the national territory. The Ukrainian crisis and the beginning of the Special Military Operation forced Spain to review its approach to the European security. If previously this approach was largely determined by special (national) interests, after February 2022, under the influence of circumstances, Madrid was obliged to show more solidarity with the position of Brussels. The return of D. Trump to the White House and the growing uncertainty regarding American nuclear guarantees strengthened this trend even more. This will be discussed in detail in the next article.