With the Financial Times reporting that the EuropeanUnion is in discussion with Spain about a bailout, CNBC discussesthe ways in which Spain differs from the nations the EU has helpedout to date, Ireland, Portugal and Greece.

For starters, Spain is much bigger, with a GDP larger than thecombined GDPs of Ireland, Portugal and Greece. And its problemisn't an overhang of sovereign debt – in fact, its ratio of debt toGDP is lower than Germany's – but its troubled banking sector.

CNBC cites analysts suggesting the EU is giving Spain time toannounce government cutbacks before a bailout is announced, so itdoesn't seem as though the EU is telling it what to do. And itcites a Reuters story that says Spain's government is looking atfreezing pensions and raising the retirement age.