Spain

Research guide to European Monetary Union

Political background

The government’s top priority is early membership of the Emu in 1999. A tighter fiscal policy stance, measures to increase competition in goods and services markets, further reforms of the rigid labour market and a general move towards a more private corporate instead of a public corporate economy via the sale of public companies are all intended to make the Spanish economy fit for Emu.

As the main political parties share the government’s Emu ambitions (with the exception of the Communists) politics should not interfere negatively in the preparations for Emu.