Expect the unexpected

Spain joined the European Union fifteen years ago on 1 January 1986, eleven years after the death of General France, the victor of the bloody civil war who had imposed an authoritarian catholic dictatorship on the country for two generations. Spain's experience raises interesting questions for candidate countries about how long absences of democracy may inhibit a state from adapting speedily to the requirements of Union accession and how a political and economic laggard can catch up with the European average. From the Mediterranean comes a warning to Eastern European states preparing for membership that surprises are in store for them and that politicians should expect the unexpected.