BigInch,
Well, what there is here is no lack of codes, but excess of. The main thing in what you are in error is in structural codes not existing but from 5 years ago. I myself have referrals of codes for rail and road bridges of the fifties and surely there were also before. Building regulation (technically) was firmly quite clear and in place by the sixties with a series of MV codes adressing masonry and steel work. That I know the first formal code adressing concrete design was EH-73 of 1973. Really, for most construction works, life was simple till the early years the eighties, when the tide of the nightmare of legislation ongoing in the world reached our places. Of always there were ISO clones (sometimes ASTM clones I think) codes emitted by AENOR, this existed at least already in the sixties, addressing almost the same span of things that ISO was doing, and were mandatory for the specific targets of the codes but were rarely a concern for an architect or engineer doing construction work.
Now I am not at all in whole accord that the unbearable instability of the codes is something of here, I see this excess almost anywhere I look at on the subject; there must be some strain of madness requiring that everything lately written at some technical publication be made law or prizes for it, who knows. Governments are in a frenzy of worprocessor laws (everyone that can write can write a law, you know), and since "Autonomías" (regions) have legislative powers and there's public appraise of the "differential traits" of every Autonomy then the democratically elected guys with the "live forces" of the region create protective laws to keep the region someway isolated from the "greed" of "foreign" non autonomic people. No that this is without reason, for the current building code (CTE, Código Técnico de la Edificiación) starting 2005 has been seen, and not without reason as "countercultural" in that imposes ways of work contrary to the building practices of here and giving a footstart for say Germany, England, France and every developed country plus say the region of Cataluña and Madrid some entry on the other's markets with more prefab products, so being actively in other ways denied by dragging feet and if, at hand, regional law.
In all I don't see that what we have here is at all different of what I see in CE, just what above described may be doing the things a bit more difficult to follow.
Respect electrical code, there has been always in my practice both low and high voltage, and has been quite seriously implemented of always.
The result of this, and in that you are entirely right in this, is that the fragmentation of the laws regionally and the amendments and revisions by the tons makes very difficult to practice the country wholespan, and if you want, be able for yourself with your team truly warrant accordance with codes anywhere; architects have for the most part abandoned the mechanical services design field since about the mid eighties, but hold firmer in the bastion of the structural design of our buildings, yet not all, for services for structural design are also common.
From an AEC firm viewpoint, there are some big spanish firms, many times with close association with the powers that be (railway works), or big construction firms, sometimes very competent at particular international markets, that can practice all over Spain, have funds enough to even on the march create some delegation for substantial slice of the cake somewhere, or less funded upstarts can develop some contract or partnership with some architectural or mechanical services firm seriously working in the region, but otherwise this aspect I don't see very at reach. Structurally I don't see much problem now that most of the requirements are joined in the CTE. It is also true for services work but more fragmented since mechanical services codes are growing much wider in scope and almost all requiring separate "Specific Project" by specifically licensed professionals.
Since I am not a multinational I feel the same about practicing anywhere: a vast see of unknowns, and between them tons of unknown legislation, and formation of partnership etc... that is, something only apt for very wily people with deep pockets. To not name overspread taxation and mandatory bank deposit that I thinks makes in practice the state the owner of 85% of the ongoing cash-flow at every instant; from this viewpoint we are still "Romans" where the ability of the Senate to award the bids made amenable almost all wills (H.L. Havell, "Republican Rome"). In this context if you want that some portion of this 85% pass trhough your hands and not immediately revert in the public finances well, you better be at ease with thes modern "senators".
And well, more or this is what I can say of what ongoing here. Respect the weld issue addressed above surely there is almost as much as ISO defines elsewhere, since more ISO codes are almost immediately turned spanish code through the AENOR institution, with some flavor. In fact I may have -but I am not certain about- everything required to answer properly the question even from the weld viewpoint issue at this same computer, only that welding flanges it is not my area of expertise nor particular practice and so it is better someone doing the job daily bring adequate answer. So I was directing to the responsible and liable people to take their load and if out of responsability you see them not performing, calling them to attention upon any reasonable argument you can give.
