The Long Road to Spanish Security Strategy

Notes internacionals CIDOB, núm. 39

- The Spanish Government has approved its first National Security Strategy, subtitled "Everyone's Responsibility", following the pattern of the European Union with the European Security Strategy and other European countries such as France, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.

- However, the evolution of Spain’s security culture has been the result of three overlapping and long-lasting processes: the democratisation of the armed forces, a gradual participation in the main regional organisations as well as in international peace operations, and the politicisation of security and defence policies.

- Membership in the European Union has strengthened Spain’s status in the international arena through the adoption of the principles and values of European security culture. Moreover, both Spanish and European narratives share a commitment to the Human Security Concept.

- The adoption of a Security Strategy has been a crucial step for Spain to adapt its security and defence policies to a wider approach to security, which includes diplomatic, military, political and foreign aid means.

“Security today is everyone’s responsibility”. On 24 June 2011 the Spanish Government approved the first National Security Strategy with this motto as the pillar on which Spain has to build for the next decade its international strategic role in a new, multi-polar, and ever changing world.

The goal of any security strategy is to provide a long-term and comprehensive approach to security, identifying both potential threats and challenges, and the available instruments to meet them. Following the pattern of the European Union with the European Security Strategy of 2003 (and its review of 2008) and other European countries such as France, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero announced in the inaugural speech of his second term the commitment to develop a comprehensive national security strategy which had to be broad enough to include other instruments apart from the purely military ones. To this end, the Spanish government appointed Javier Solana to lead the process of elaboration of the Spanish Security Strategy (SSS), only one month after finishing his duties as High Representative for the CFSP in November 2009.

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