'Pharmacists in Spain and many other parts of the EU are better qualified than those in the UK'

I think you will find the requirements are similar except in the UK there is a professional exam before you achieve membership. They certainly are able to dole out antibiotics freely and until recently the contraceptive pill.

We have been going to the same pharmacy for the last 5 years until recently when my wife required an antibiotic for dental treatment she was undergoing.
About 6 months ago they employed a new pharmacist, really miserable, but that is by the by. My wife gave her the bit of paper with the name of the antibiotic recommended by the dentist. She refused to give her the medicine saying she needed a proper prescription. I told her thank you but we will not come back here (we were spending over 1500 Euros a year there) We went to another Pharmacy near our house, no problems and they get our business now. Incidentally that is the first time it has happened to us in 8 years here.

Within the last year or two, pharmacies were told to stop selling antibiotics without a prescription. Most of them seem to still use their discretion, but your new one clearly thought otherwise!

I presume you meant without a prescription!
My wife just had a paper with the letterheading of the Dentist with the details of the medicine written on it and a signature.

Whoops! Now corrected.