Informe 64: “Business as usual. Analysis of the Spanish arms trade in 2022-23 and the case for an arms embargo on Israel”

Spanish arms exports in 2022 increased by 24% compared to 2021, the second highest figure in the history of Spanish arms exports, only slightly surpassed in 2017. Moreover, the only data available made public by the Spanish government on defense and dual-use material exports in 2023 show that in the first half of 2023 alone, exports already reached the figure of 1,754 million euros, which suggests that a record number of exports made in one year could be reached in 2023 as a whole. Attention should be drawn to exports to regions of high conflict and political tension, such as the Middle East, which was the destination of 23% of Spanish military exports in 2022, reaching a value of 947.4 million euros and, in the first half of 2023 alone, amounted to 334.3 million euros, 19% of total exports for the period.

This report also analyzes the arms trade between Spain and Israel, revealing that despite the extreme gravity of Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip, military relations between Spain and Israel have remained in essence as they were before October 7, 2023. In November 2023, 987,000 euros worth of munitions were exported from Spain to Israel. This was done by Nammo Palencia, the subsidiary of the Norwegian-Finnish multinational Nammo, and the ammunition is for the company Elbit Systems, one of the main suppliers of the Israeli Army. More ammunition/projectiles were exported in December, although in this case for re-export to the Philippines. Imports, on the other hand, have not been suspended, as the Secretary of State for Trade acknowledged in February, and Spain has not stopped acquiring Israeli armament, as it had been doing before October 7, awarding since then to Israeli companies and their subsidiaries in Spain contracts valued at 1,027 million euros.

Finally, this publication studies the legality of these arms exports and imports with Israel and the possibilities of imposing an arms embargo on this country, putting forward proposals for the modification of Spanish legislation on the control of the arms trade.

Read and download the executive summary in English, in Spanish and in Catalan, and the complete report in Spanish (soon available in English and Catalan).

Authors: Tica Font, Eduardo Melero and Alejandro Pozo