: on the extreme left, the Basque
Fatherland and Liberty or ETA and the First of October Antifascist
Resistance Group or GRAPO use terrorism to oppose the government; free
labor unions (authorized in April 1977); Workers Confederation or
CC.OO; the Socialist General Union of Workers or UGT and the smaller
independent Workers Syndical Union or USO; business and landowning
interests; the Catholic Church; Opus Dei; university students

International organization participation: AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB,
Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, EBRD, ECE, ECLAC, EIB, ESA, EU,
FAO, G- 8, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM
(observer), ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MTCR, NACC, NAM (guest), NATO,
NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR,
UNIDO, UNMIBH, UNU, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Antonio de OYARZABAL MARCHESI
chancery : 2375 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037
telephone: [1] (202) 452-0100, 728-2340
FAX: [1] (202) 833-5670
consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami,
New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico)

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Richard N. GARDNER
embassy: Serrano 75, 28006 Madrid
mailing address : APO AE 09642
telephone: [34] (1) 587-2200
FAX: [34] (1) 587-2303
consulate(s) general: Barcelona

Flag description: three horizontal bands of red (top), yellow (double
width), and red with the national coat of arms on the hoist side of
the yellow band; the coat of arms includes the royal seal framed by
the Pillars of Hercules, which are the two promontories (Gibraltar and
Ceuta) on either side of the eastern end of the Strait of Gibraltar

Economy

Economy - overview: Spain's mixed capitalist economy supports a GDP
three-fourths that of the four leading West European economies. Its
center-right government has staked much on gaining admission to the
first group of countries to implement the European single currency by
developing an austere 1997 budget - including a wage freeze for
public-sector employees - in hopes of meeting the Maastricht monetary
convergence criteria. The government slashed spending by $1.6 billion
in mid-1996 to ensure that Spain's deficit did not exceed its target
of 4.4% of GDP for the year; the gov