ABSTRACT
The aim of this chapter is to identify and analyse those features which characterised the process of development and structural change in Spanish industry in the period 1980-95.
There are two stages which are worth differentiating in studying the recent evolution of Spanish industry. These are the period prior to 1986, the year Spain joined the European Union (EU), and the subsequent period, the most marked characteristic of which is the opening up of Spanish markets to international competition. Though the analysis focuses on the most recent evolution of Spanish industry, it should be useful to review the performance of industry in the cycle which came immediately before.
