Report 50: Spain’s real military expenditure for 2022. Investments in weapons shoot up the Defence Budget in the middle of the pandemic

The real military expenditure in the State General Budget for 2022 approved by the coalition government between PSOE (center-left) and Unidas Podemos (left) amounts to 22,796 million of euros, a plus 124% from what is allocated directly to the Ministry of Defence (10,155 million), which means a new historical record and a 5.75% increase with respect to the previous year. This growth responds partly to the 16.2% increase on armament investments, which reach 4,581.5 million, that is the 21.38% of the overall state investment or, what is the same, that 1 out of each 5 euros invested by the state administration has a military goal. The Special Weapons Programs (PEA) continue to be the main catalyst for this increase and, taking into account the 3 new ones approved this year by the coalition government, they already add up to 34 programs since their inception in 1996, reaching 51,644 million.

This report expresses a strong criticism of this budget, whose dedication to the military, with such large sums for payment and development of arms programmes, seems far away from the needs of our society. The publication analyzes military spending for the year 2022, R&D in the General State Budgets for 2022, and a historical perspective of the last 25 years, coinciding with the first Special Weapons Programs.

Authors: Xavier Bohigas, Pere Ortega and Quique Sánchez Ochoa

You can read and download the executive summary in Spanish and in Catalan and the full report in English, in Spanish and in Catalan.

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