Spain's transition to democracy and eventual conformity to the Copenhagen criteria, especially in the area of human rights

Abstract

The changes which took place in Spain have been numerous since the days of Franco. Looking at Spain today, it is impossible to understand fully the extent of change without having a look at the past. In fact the real extent of these changes may only be observed with looking at the, so to speak, 'before' and 'after'. A major stepping stone was membership into the European Union which, as has happened in various European states, affected the country in an unparalleled way. A particular area of interest is that of human rights which is mostly discussed in relation to the Basque Region. Hence, taking a look at the country's past in relation to its transition to democracy, the discussion moves on to human rights in the Basque Region, with a final comparison to other European states. This thesis will conclude by looking at the progress achieved in Spain since 1975.