ABSTRACT
From prehistoric times up until the fifteenth century, Spain was populated by various groups of invaders that left their imprint and influence on every aspect of Spanish history. The Basque Country, which was in the past the other strong industrial region of Spain and has been undergoing a change of its economic structure since the late 1990s, differs from Catalonia. Due to Spain's geographical location, there has often been a feeling of being on the fringe of Europe. Spain's accession to the EU took many years of negotiation, but it was finally achieved on January 1, 1986. Until the end of 2008, Spain's trajectory had been an upward one, with a buoyant economy and with high unemployment a distant memory. Democracy seemed to be working, and the next step for Spain was the start of a process of Europeanization through the establishment of closer links with other countries and through an application to become part of the EU.
