summary
- Spain became a donor country in 1980s after becoming a democracy and entering the European Community. Today, it challenges the United States for first position among bilateral donors.
- Spain has become more visible in the donor community and expanded its geographic scope, but it needs to modify its management structure.
- Most of its official development assistance is channelled through small, isolated projects, which contributes to the fragmentation of Spanish aid.
- Spain did not take advantage of a period of economic growth to establish solid institutional foundations and improve its aid system's technical capacities. These reforms seem even more distant in the face of budget restrictions.