Administrative organization

Form of State : Unitarian State (regional State).
The State holds legislative power only in the areas for which the State is exclusively competent, as set out in Article 149 of the Constitution:

• international relations
• defence
• administration of justice
• commercial, criminal, labour and civil legislation
• customs matters
• currency, general finance and state debt
• public health: basis and general coordination.

Interesting ministries:

• Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. Minister: Mrs Elena Espinosa Mangana. 4 DG, including one in charge of rural development. This Minister is in charge of Leader, Natura 2000, …
• Ministry of the Environment. Minister: Mrs Cristina Narbona Ruiz. 3 General Secretaries, including one in charge of territory and biodiversity. Ministry in charge of environmental education, biodiversity, heritage, as well as territorial and rural development.

Total public expenditure: € 346.3 billions = 38.2% GDP.

Sub-national public expenditure: € 185.1 billions = 20.4% GDP = 53.4% total public expenditure.

Rural life

Rural surface: 80.2% of total surface.
Utilized agricultural area: 50.9% total area, i.e. about 256,934 km2.
Rural population: 23.3% total population.
Labour force in agriculture: 989,000 Annual Work Units (AWU).
Unemployment rate by degree of urbanisation:

• Densely populated areas: 8.8%
• Intermediate areas: 9.8%
• Thinly populated areas: 9.7%

Employment rate by degree of urbanisation:

• Densely populated areas: 65%
• Intermediate areas: 61.9%
• Thinly populated areas: 61.1%

Youth unemployment ratio by degree of urbanisation:

• Densely populated areas: 9.5%
• Intermediate areas: 9.9%
• Thinly populated areas: 8.7%
• Total: 9.4%

Share of organic area in total utilised agricultural area: 3.2%.

Sustainability

The Spanish Sustainable Development Strategy was published immediately after the Göteborg summit. It includes long-term objectives (25 years) which have to be updated every 5 years. The Spanish SDS is mostly based on the 27 principles of the 1992 Rio Declaration, but also included specific Spanish themes.
Priority issues:

• environmental objectives: transport, natural resources, urban and rural strategies, biodiversity, noise and water, and climate change.
• economic objectives: innovation, education, tourism, eco-efficiency, industries, non-renewable resources, local and international cooperation.
• social objectives: fight poverty, enhance social welfare, disease prevention, promote equity, enhance cultural diversity.

No institution is specifically responsible for the implementation of the Spanish SDS. Its successful implementation will therefore depend on the degree of cooperation between different public administration institutions.
Environmental protection expenditure in the public sector: 0.8 % of GDP, i.e. 108 € per capita.
Government expenditure on environment protection, in % of GDP: 0.9%.
Government expenditure on environment protection, in % of total government expenditure: 2.3%.
Area protected under the Habitats Directive as a percentage of total area: 22.6%.