Spain

Book excerpt: This volume assesses the evolution of Spain's external relations during the 1990s, within and beyond Europe, and assesses the principal challenges facing the country at the beginning of the twenty-first century. The coincidence of several crucial global and European developments has had a profound effect on Spain. Adjustment of the economy and changes in foreign policy perspectives have become unavoidable. In turn, Spain, as an increasingly self-confident member of the EU, has itself become a significant actor in European-level developments. Spain's relationship with Europe and the wider world is increasingly balanced between new constraints and new opportunities for international influence.