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It's not quite as good, but that doesn't make it bad. There is some difference in taste, but most of us don't have saffron often enough to really notice or even care. It does still have the saffron taste. You may need to use just a touch more, but not too much.

Yes, there is a huge difference in taste. I just bought some Spanish saffron and almost could not tell it was in the recipe when I made some rice with it.

The origin is the same; Spanish saffron was introduced to the Peninsula with the Arabic conquest of Spain.

They do differ ever so slightly nowadays. If you were to cook a very heavy saffron dish, you might note that the intensity of flavour of the Middle Eastern one is slightly higher, but I would strongly disrecommend a saffron-heavy dish.