Which Type of Armament Cooperation Do We Want/Need? The Case of Spain

This ARES Group commentary examines how Spain perceives and approaches armament cooperation within the European Union (EU) level, asking “Which type of armament cooperation do we want and need?”. It argues that Spain views armament cooperation as a means to strengthen European strategic autonomy, industrial competitiveness and interoperability while improving cost efficiency. It finds that Spain’s performance in research cooperation under the European Defence Fund has been strong, but translating these successes into major joint procurement programmes remains a challenge. Persistent obstacles include a fragmented industrial coordination, limited managerial capacity and regulatory divergences. The commentary concludes that Spain seeks pragmatic but ambitious cooperation: capability-led, lifecycle-oriented and financially sustainable, with fair industrial returns and alignment between EU and NATO priorities. For EU joint defence procurement to be a success for Spain, Madrid must align its national strategy with EU instruments and strengthen domestic capacity to lead future cooperative programmes.