Spain
Spain boycotted the negotiations on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) in 2017 and has consistently voted against the annual UN General Assembly resolutions on the Treaty, including in 2025. It may sign and ratify or accede to the TPNW, but will have to make changes to its policies and practices to become compliant.
TPNW Status
| Key weapons of mass destruction treaties | ||
|---|---|---|
| NUCLEAR WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the TPNW | No | |
| Party to the NPT | Yes (Acceded 1987) | |
| Ratified the CTBT | Yes (Ratified 1998, Annex 2 state) | |
| Party to an NWFZ | No | |
| CSA with the IAEA | Yes (In force 1989) | |
| AP with the IAEA | Yes (In force 2004) | |
| BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the BWC | Yes (Ratified 1979) | |
| Party to the CWC | Yes (Ratified 1994) | |
| TPNW Art. 1(1) prohibitions: Compatibility in 2025 | ||
|---|---|---|
| (a) | Develop, produce, manufacture, acquire | Compatible |
| Possess or stockpile | Compatible | |
| Test | Compatible | |
| (b) | Transfer | Compatible |
| (c) | Receive transfer or control | Compatible |
| (d) | Use | Compatible |
| Threaten to use | Compatible | |
| (e) | Assist, encourage or induce | Non-compatible |
| (f) | Seek or receive assistance | Compatible |
| (g) | Allow stationing, installation, deployment | Compatible |
| TPNW voting and participation | |
|---|---|
| UNGA resolution on TPNW (latest vote) | Voted no (2025) |
| Participated in 3MSP (2025) | No |
| Participated in 2MSP (2023) | No |
| Participated in 1MSP (2022) | No |
| Average MSP delegation size (% women) | N/A |
| Adoption of TPNW (7 July 2017) | N/A |
| Participated in TPNW negotiations (2017) | No |
| Negotiation mandate (A/RES/71/258) | Voted no |
| Fissile material | |
|---|---|
| Nuclear facilities | Yes |
| Fissile material production | No |
| HEU stocks | Cleared |
| Plutonium stocks | Stored abroad |
| SQP with the IAEA | No |
Latest developments
In 2024, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain, José Manuel Albares, outlined his country’s position on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) in a letter to the Spanish civil society coalition Alianza por el Desarme Nuclear. ‘We fully share with the States Parties to the [TPNW] the goal of a world without nuclear weapons,’ he wrote. ‘However, the TPNW risks fragmenting the community built up over decades around the NPT, has no system for verifying compliance, making it difficult to monitor its implementation, and was concluded without the participation of any of the nuclear-weapon States, so it is not likely to achieve its objectives.’1
In the Conference on Disarmament in February 2025, Foreign Minister Albares said: ‘Given the difficult international situation that we are facing, it is now more important than ever to support the international disarmament architecture that we have built together and that is essential for the maintenance of international peace and security.’2
At the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) Preparatory Committee meeting in April 2025, Spain said: ‘The importance of the NPT as the cornerstone of the non-proliferation regime and the disarmament architecture must be complemented by other international political and legal instruments that strengthen its robustness and contribute to achieving its objectives, such as the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.’3
In the First Committee of the UN General Assembly in October 2025, Spain said that it ‘is firmly committed to [the NPT’s] universalization and full implementation in order to advance towards the goal of a world without nuclear weapons in a progressive and realistic manner, based on the commitments already made’.4
As part of its Universal Periodic Review by the UN Human Rights Council in 2025, Spain ‘noted’ recommendations by other States to consider ratifying the TPNW and observing its Meetings of States Parties.5
The Sumar political party, which is the minor partner in Spain’s Socialist-led coalition government, indicated its support for the TPNW ahead of the general election in 2023, pledging: ‘We will lead international efforts to abolish nuclear weapons, promoting the ratification of the [TPNW].’6
Recommendations
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Spain should renounce the possession and potential use of nuclear weapons on its behalf, and ensure that nuclear weapons do not have a role in its defence posture.
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Spain should comply with its existing obligation under Article VI of the NPT and pursue negotiations in good faith on nuclear disarmament.
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Spain should urgently adhere to the TPNW. Until it is in a position to do so, it should welcome the TPNW as a valuable component in the global disarmament and non-proliferation architecture, work with the Treaty's states parties on practical steps towards disarmament, and attend the meetings of states parties as an observer.