We explain how the integration of Spain in the European Union was. In addition, its consequences and the simultaneous adhesion to NATO.
How was the integration of Spain into the European Union?
After the foundation of the European Economic Community through the Treaty of Rome in 1957, The Spanish government tried to integrate into said community . The first adhesion request was made by Francisco Franco’s government in 1962, but the fact that Spain was a dictatorship made its integration.
In 1970, Spain and CEE signed a preferential agreement limited to trade that reduced tariffs on Spanish products. After Franco’s death In 1975 and the transition to democracy, long negotiations began that concluded in June 1985 with The signature of the Adhesion Act . On January 1, 1986, during the presidency of the socialist Felipe González, Spain officially entered the European Economic Community.
In 1992 the Spanish government signed with the other Member States of the EEC The Maastricht Treaty created the European Union and entered into force on November 1, 1993. Spain also adopted the euro, the common European currency introduced on January 1, 1999.
Frequent questions
When did Spain adhere to the European Union?
Spain signed the Act of Adhesion to the European Economic Community (antecedent of the European Union) on June 12, 1985, under the presidency of Felipe González. The adhesion became effective on January 1, 1986. Spain and the other CEE states signed in 1992 the Maastricht Treaty that created the European Union, and entered into force on November 1, 1993.
Why did Spain take to adhere to the European Union?
Francisco Franco’s government requested to adhere to the European Economic Community in 1962, five years after it was created. However, full adhesion was not allowed because the Franco regime was a dictatorship. The maximum that was reached in 1970 was a preferential agreement between Spain and the EEC that reduced tariffs on Spanish products. Negotiations for full adhesion began in 1979, after Franco’s death and transition to democracy. The apparent fragility of the Spanish democratic system, with facts such as the coup attempt of 1981, extended the negotiations until an agreement was reached and the adhesion act was signed in 1985. The act entered into force in 1986.
What place does Spain occupy in the European Union?
Spain is a full member of the European Union. For this reason, it has representation in European institutions: the European Council, the European Parliament, the European Union Council and the European Commission. According to official data, in 2018 Spain contributed to the European Union budget with 10,314 million euros and the European Union had an expense in Spain of 12,270 million euros.
The integration of Spain into the European Economic Community
In 1962, Francisco Franco’s government asked the European Economic Community (CEE) founded in 1957 and a history of the European Union, the opening of negotiations for the association with a view to a future adhesion. The Franco regime was aware that Full adhesion was impossible because Spain was not a democratic country but a dictatorship .
A few months later, the Parliamentary Assembly of the CEE approved a resolution in which it required that countries that aspire to enter the community had a democratic political system. In 1970, Spain signed a preferential agreement with the EEC, strictly limited to the commercial land . This agreement highlighted the international marginalization of the Franco regime.
Franco’s death in 1975 and the transition to democracy renewed the hopes of adhesion to the EEC . This community had been an economic success for its members. Adhesion negotiations began in 1979 during the UCD government (Democratic Center Union).
The process was long and complex. The doubts about the strength of the Spanish democratic system (especially after the coup attempt of Antonio Tejero in 1981) and especially the distrust of certain countries in the face of the possible competence of Spanish products extended negotiations.
Finally, after signing the Act of Adhesion on June 12, 1985, Spain managed to access the European Economic Community on January 1, 1986 during the presidency of the socialist Felipe González.
Spain in the European Union
Unlike other countries, In Spain there were no significant political movements contrary to the European integration process . For this reason, one of the most “European” countries of the European Union is usually considered.
The entrance to the EEC, made up of a select group of democratic and economically developed countries, contributed to strengthening democracy and developing the Spanish economy .
In 1992, the CEE Member States signed the Maastricht Treaty that gave rise to the European Union, in force since November 1, 1993. This treaty established the cohesion fund, that is, a financial contribution for environmental projects, transport and energy infrastructures in countries with a income level below 90 % of the average of the European Union. As a consequence, Spain obtained significant support for revitalization and regional development.
The Maastricht Treaty also established the creation of an economic and monetary union with the introduction of a single currency. Of She would be part of the countries that meet a series of conditions. Finally, the Member States of the European Union agreed December 15, 1995 In Madrid the creation of a common European currency under the denomination of euro .
Despite doubts about the possibilities of the Spanish economy, Spain joined the new currency with the most developed countries of the European Union. The euro entered into force on January 1, 1999 and The new tickets and coins began to circulate on January 1, 2002 .
The entry of Spain into NATO
The international role of Spain increased after the end of Franco. The dictatorship had caused marginalization against the main international organizations, such as NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) and CEE. By becoming a democracy, Spain was able to access these organizations.
While adhesion to CEE was a objective shared by almost all Spanish political forces, The entrance to NATO, the Great Military Alliance of the West, caused great differences. Most of the leftist forces were contrary, because they saw NATO as an instrument in the United States in the context of the Cold War.
The UCD government informed NATO in 1981 its formal intention to adhere to the Washington Treaty (the treaty created by NATO). Almost immediately he received the invitation of the North Atlantic Council (CAN) to initiate the accession process and, On May 30, 1982, Spain became a member of NATO .
The left, with the PSOE in front, opposed this income . Felipe González raised the need for a referendum in which the PSOE would ask for the departure of NATO. However, Spain’s entry into CEE caused Felipe González to change his speech and went on to support adhesion to the western alliance.
The triumph of the position defended by González in the 1986 referendum allowed Spanish participation in the various NATO agencies with the exception of the integrated military structure, which was just incorporated in 1999.
Spain’s belonging to NATO increased military presence abroad . The most prominent case was the Spanish participation in the actions undertaken by NATO in the conflicts of the former Yugoslavia (Bosnia and Kosovo) in the 1990s.
On the other hand, within the Spanish collaboration with other European countries, cooperation with France against the Basque terrorist organization ETA was highlighted. This collaboration began during the government of Felipe González.
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References
- Casanova, J. & Gil, C. (2012). Brief history of Spain in the twentieth century. Ariel.
- European Commission in Spain (SF). Spain in the EU. Official Site of the European Commission in Spain. https://spain.representation.ec.europa.eu/
- Fernández Navarrete, D. (2022). History of the European Union: from the origins to post-overxit. Autonomous University of Madrid Editions.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation (SF). Spain in NATO. Official site of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. https://www.exteriors.gob.es/
- European Union (SF). Principles, countries, history. Official Portal of the European Union. https://european-union.europa.eu/
