State dossier
Spain
ESP · SPAIN · on the world map
What does it want?
Position: wants a treaty with bans (LBI-BAN). Supports a legally binding treaty that prohibits some systems.
Wants a treaty with bans (LBI-BAN), since 2024-05-23, interpreted (INFERRED)
In its 2024 submission to the UN Secretary-General, Spain said it favors a two-tier approach of prohibition and regulation. In Spanish-language statements to the UN First Committee in 2023 and 2024, it said the goal of the Geneva expert group should be a legally binding instrument (2023) and a legal instrument (2024). Read together, that is a treaty with bans, but the binding part rests on statements this site describes rather than quotes.
Spain's submission favors a two-tier approach of prohibition and regulation.
Spain, together with other like-minded countries, favours a two-tiered approach based on prohibition and regulation.
Lethal autonomous weapons systems: report of the Secretary-General (A/79/88), 2024-05-23 source
Spain supports a new GGE mandate leading toward negotiating a legally binding instrument.
In the conventional weapons debate on 23 October 2023, Spain said it strongly supports a new mandate for the expert group that sets the steps toward the final goal of negotiating a legally binding instrument ("jurídicamente vinculante"). UNGA First Committee, 78th session, thematic debate on conventional weapons (Cluster IV): Statement by Spain (Spanish), 2023-10-23 source
Spain says its aim in the expert group is a legal instrument that regulates the use of these weapons.
In the general debate on 15 October 2024, Spain said it takes part in the expert group on lethal autonomous weapons with the basic aim of drafting a legal instrument ("instrumento legal") that regulates their use. UNGA First Committee, 79th session, General Debate: Statement by Spain (Spanish), 2024-10-15 source
Shown large among its peers · hover a mark for its position
How did it vote?
Yes on all three UN votes on autonomous weapons.
Hover a legend chip to light those votes · each resolution links to its record
What has it signed?
Being on a list is a fact. Not being on one is not opposition.
Hover a column heading to light its signings · click a seal to open the document
When has it spoken?
Every time it went on the record, dated.
Hover a mark for what it was · a legend chip lights that type
What rules has it written at home?
Its own military policy.
Military policy not yet reviewed by this site, as of 2026-11-04.
The record
The documents on file.
Each mark opens its source