I find this to be a very interesting thread. I simply cannot believe that the Spanish aviation system is anything but 100% honest and above board.
It rather reminds me of a time when I flew for a company that sub-contracted to a much larger organisation. Almost on a nightly basis, they would be looking for a crew to fly a trip that none of us could legally accomplish and still remain within JAR FTLs.
However, Pedro the Pilot would always step up to the starting block and manage to get the job done.
Although Spain was supposed to be JAR-compliant. I was told that they worked to BEES instead of JARs.
For those of you who are still puzzling about what BEES means, I was told that it was "Brown Envelope Extension System".
Needless to say. I never saw a brown envelope so I could not possibly comment on the veracity of the foregoing but it was always an EC-registered aircraft that accomplished the impossible.
I am sure that this was just a coincidence.