Spain

C

Judiciary

The judicial system in Spain is governed by the General Council of Judicial Power, presided over by the president of the Supreme Court. The country’s highest tribunal is the Supreme Court of Justice, divided into seven sections, which sits in Madrid. There are 17 territorial High Courts, one in each autonomous region, 52 provincial High Courts, and several lower courts handling penal, employment, and juvenile matters. The country’s other important court is the Constitutional Court, which monitors observance of the Constitution.

D

Local Government

The 1978 constitution allowed for two types of autonomous regions, each with different powers. Catalonia, the Basque provinces, and Galicia were defined as “historic nationalities” and used a simpler process to achieve autonomy. The process for other regions was slower and more complicated. While the autonomous regions have assumed substantial powers of self-government, the issue of regional versus central governmental power is still under negotiation.

Each of Spain’s 17 autonomous regions elects a unicameral legislative assembly, which selects a president from among its own members. Seven autonomous regions are composed of only one province, the other ten are formed of two or more provinces. Each of the provinces, 50 in all, has an appointed governor and an elected council. Each of the more than 8,000 municipalities is governed by a directly elected council, which elects one of its members as mayor.

E

Health and Welfare

Life expectancy at birth in Spain in 2008 was 77 years for men and 84 years for women. Infant mortality in 2008 was 4 deaths per 1,000 live births. The Law of Family Subsidy, enacted in 1939, provides Spain’s workers with monthly allowances proportionate to the number of children in the family; the necessary funding is collected from employers and employees. A system of old-age pensions and health and maternity benefits has been in effect since 1949. A fund derived from public collections provides for the support of the poor, nursery schools, and health clinics. In 1997 around 5.85 per cent of government expenditure was spent on health care. More than 50 per cent of the social security budget is spent on retirement pensions; 30 per cent is spent on health services. In 2003 Spain had one doctor for every 313 people and one hospital bed per 263 people.

F

Defence

Spain maintains well-equipped armed services; compulsory military service was phased out in January 2002 in preparation for a standing army. Since 1989 women have been accepted into all branches of the forces. In 2004 the country had an army of 95,600, a navy of 19,455, including 7,200 marines, and an air force of 22,750. The paramilitary Guardia Civil had a strength of 75,000. The government has close defence ties with the United States, which has maintained naval and air bases in Spain. The country became a member of NATO) in 1982, and reaffirmed that alliance in a public referendum in 1986. One provision of the referendum, however, was a reduction of US troops stationed in Spain.

G

International Organizations

Spain is a member of the United Nations (UN), the European Union, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the Western European Union, the World Trade Organization (WTO), and the Council of Europe. Spain is a signatory of the Schengen Agreement on European border controls.