Grupo Prisa

El País is Spain's most widely circulated and most influential newspaper and is respected worldwide. It was first published on May 4, 1976, just as Spain was beginning the transition to democracy. The paper's vigorous defense of civil liberties and its support for political and social change, quickly made it an icon of modern Spain.

El País was a pioneer in the adoption of journalistic tools such as the Style Book, the readers' editor, and the Editorial Code, approved in 1980, which governs the professional relations between editorial staff, management and the company.

In 2007 El País underwent its first major revamp in 31 years and, on October 21, unveiled a new front-page look and mast head as well as a mission for the 21st century: to be the world's first global newspaper in Spanish. As part of this transformation, sections were reorganised, new information boxes were introduced, analysis and entertainment were added, and the paper reinforced its regional supplements (Catalonia , which had just celebrated 25 years of regional government; Madrid, the Basque Country, Andalusia, Valencia and Galicia). The paper is now printed at production plants in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, Lugo, Las Palmas, Burgos, Palma de Mallorca, as well as in Germany, Belgium, Mexico and Argentina.

The supplements El País Semanal, Domingo and Babelia were revamped by designer Óscar Mariné, offering a fresh, stylish new look, as well a fresh take on reporting and culture. 2007 also saw the launch of two new monthly supplements, both becoming key information sources for health and the environment: Salud (Health) and Tierra (Earth). These are offered in addition to other existing supplements: Ciberpaís, El Viajero, Negocios, Propiedades, Motor, EP3 and the weekly entertainment guide On Madrid.

El País reconfirmed its position as market leader over the course of 2007 with a new record of 435,083 copies daily and 749,388 on Sundays according to figures from the auditing bureau OJD in December of that year. Figures from the first quarter of 2008 reveal an excellent start to the year with average daily distribution figures of 465,457, capping 11 consecutive months of climbing circulation. What's more, according to the audit Estudio General de Medios (EGM) from April, 2008, El País hit its highest figure ever: 2,336,000 readers.

On the world stage, meanwhile, the newspaper has agreements with The New York Times and Le Monde, in which PRISA is a stakeholder. In conjunction with The New York Times, El País publishes a Spanish-language supplement containing articles and reports from the US paper. The Internacional Herald Tribune, meanwhile, includes an English-language version of El País alongside the edition it sells in Spain.