Trendy Spain at Europe's cutting edge

Spain, a European backwater prior to its EU accession in 1986 and which must decide whether to say yes to an EU constitution on Sunday, has managed to play catch-up in the two intervening decades.

A land largely known in the past for its beaches, its sangria and its sunshine has in that time become a model pupil whose fashion designers, chefs, cinematographers -- and footballers -- are at the continent's cutting edge.

While substantial European aid topping 100 billion euros has fired the economy -- though unemployment has remained stubbornly high -- the arts have flourished almost as much as the national infrastructure.

Names such as Inditex, whose Zara brand of clothing has become a favourite with women across the Union and beyond, and Santander Central Hispano bank, now one of Europe's top banks following the recent acquisition of Britain's Abbey National, have placed Spain in the vanguard of the euro zone.

Politically, the country wields substantial influence in the new Europe of 25 states with Josep Borell president of the European parliament and former NATO head Javier Solana now EU foreign policy chief.

But culturally, the influence is no less widespread, with gastronomes flocking to enjoy the ambitiously tasty creations of top chefs such as Ferran Adria, whose famed Michelin three-star Bulli eatery in the eastern region of Catalonia wows the most jaded palate.

Pedro Subijana, Juan Mari Arzak, Martin Berasategui and Karlos Argignano fulfil a similar function in the Basque country, famed for its delectable cuisine.

Spain's silver screen contributions are also in the ascendency, with Pedro Almodovar having been the progenitor of a new generation of film-makers.

Almodovar's opus "Bad Education" opened up last year's Cannes film festival while Alejandro Amenabar's "The Sea Inside" eclipsed Almodovar last month in winning a slew of Goya awards for his touching story of Ramon Sampedro, a tetraplegic man who battled for the right to commit assisted suicide.

Add the likes of Julio Medem of "Lucia y el sexo" fame and Spanish cinema is scaling new heights.

Then of course there is Spanish football, which has attracted dozens of the top names in the sport in recent years, not least England skipper David Beckham, Brazilian World Cup winner Ronaldo and French counterpart Zinedine Zidane to Real Madrid and Brazilian champion Ronaldinho to Barcelona.

The pre-eminence of La Liga has made Spain's top flight the world's most watched after the English Premiership, the skill level unmatched worldwide with such a cornucopia of talent on show.

Barca and nine-times European champions Real battle year in, year out for supremacy -- although Valencia pushed both their noses out of joint in winning last season's title.

Not for nothing has Spain's ministry of culture proudly flagged up on its website that Spain is "first in Europe" in the run-up to Sunday's vote on backing a constitution for the EU.

The boast relates to the fact that Spain is the first of around a dozen EU countries to submit the proposed text to a popular vote and Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has been keen to ram home that as such the nation "is in the vanguard of the European project."

EU neighbours preferring to submit the text to parliamentary, rather than popular ratification, may beg to differ.

But in cultural terms, Spain is surfing a cultural wave 19 years after gambling its future on a Europe ever closer united.