Reports

Spain’s economy is showing clear signs of recovery, after a protracted recession. Despite these positive developments significant challenges remain. Spain has amongst the highest unemployment rates in the OECD and the Spanish economy was still smaller in 2014 than it was in 2007. While the future is by definition uncertain, all signs point to a world in which higher levels of skills will be increasingly critical for people’s success in the economy and society. Skills improvements are an important driver of employment, productivity, economic growth, and higher living standards. Fostering better and more equitable skills outcomes also provides the foundation for building a healthier, more equitable, and more cohesive society. The OECD Skills Strategy Diagnostic Report: Spain identifies 12 skills challenges for Spain. These challenges were identified through workshops with national and regional governments and stakeholders and through analysis of OECD, European Commission and national data. The first eight challenges refer to specific outcomes across the three pillars of developing, activating and using skills. The next four challenges refer to the 'enabling' conditions that strengthen the overall skills system. Success in tackling these skills challenges will boost performance across the whole skills system.

Since the last IEA review in 2009, Spain’s dependence on energy imports has decreased markedly, in part thanks to a rapid increase in renewable energy supply. Spain’s security of supply has further been improved with diversified import sources and enhanced storage capacity for both oil and gas. In the electricity sector, Spain has built a large, diverse and reliable power generation fleet. After several years of efforts, the government has now also managed to solve the massive imbalance between the electricity system’s regulated costs and revenues. The broad and deep electricity market reform has fundamentally changed the remuneration scheme for renewable energy. Spain must now maintain its strong and long-term commitment to a financially sustainable electricity system. To improve investor confidence, it should also closely follow the principles of transparency, predictability and certainty when revising policies and regulations. New momentum for establishing additional cross-border connections in electricity and gas will eventually enable Spain to use its large power and liquefied natural gas capacity to increase flexibility, diversity and security in the European Union internal market. The government should now focus on longer-term issues including energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions. A critical question is how to encourage the transition to a low-carbon energy system. This review analyses the energy policy challenges Spain faces and provides sectoral recommendations for further policy improvements. It is intended to help guide the country towards a more secure and sustainable energy future.

Les examens environnementaux de l’OCDE sont des évaluations indépendantes des progrès accomplis par les pays pour tenir leurs engagements environnementaux nationaux et internationaux. Ces examens ont pour objectif de favoriser les échanges de bonnes pratiques et l’apprentissage entre pairs, d’aider les gouvernements à rendre compte de leurs politiques auprès des autres pays et de l’opinion publique et d’améliorer la performance environnementale, individuelle et collective, des pays. Les analyses s’appuient sur un large éventail de données économiques et environnementales et contiennent également des recommandations de politique publique. Au cours de chaque cycle d’examens environnementaux, l’OCDE passe en revue l’ensemble de ses pays membres ainsi que certains pays partenaires. Les derniers pays examinés sont la Suède (2014), l’Islande (2014) et la Pologne (2015). Ce rapport est le troisième examen environnemental de l’Espagne. Il évalue les progrès accomplis par l’Espagne en termes de développement durable et de croissance verte, avec un accent particulier sur la biodiversité et la performance environnementale du secteur privé.