Fortieth anniversary of Spain’s accession to the European Union

Eduardo González This Thursday, January 1, 2026, marks forty years since Spain joined the European Union, the major community project that has contributed to modernizing the Spanish economy and infrastructure, raising the standard of living of its population, and consolidating democracy in a country that, barely a decade before joining, was trying to overcome a very long dictatorship. Background Joining the then European Economic Community (EEC) became a priority for the technocratic governments of Franco's dictatorship from 1960 onwards, with the beginning of the so-called economic "developmentalism." However, the European Union made it clear from the outset that, without democracy, any progress in this direction would be inexorably doomed to failure. The first attempt occurred in February 1962, when the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Fernando María Castiella, requested the opening of negotiations with the then Common Market for the signing of an association agreement as a first step towards future accession. However, the request was submitted just a few months after the then Parliamentary Assembly of the EEC warned that both association and accession required not only a certain level of economic development, but also a commitment to the democratic system. The governments of France and Germany viewed the association favorably, while other countries opted for caution, but the regime encountered rejection from public opinion in European countries, including the Socialist Group of the Assembly, and an international campaign by the PCE (Communist Party of Spain) to prevent accession until democracy was established. The execution of the communist Julián Grimau in a court-martial without due process in 1963 certainly did not make matters easier. Ultimately, the Council of Ministers of the EEC rejected the agreement. In February 1964, Spain resubmitted its application, and in July, the EEC approved the talks, which began in December. However, Brussels merely stalled and made it clear that the Franco regime could not expect any political concessions from the Common Market. In 1967, the EEC agreed to open negotiations for a preferential agreement with exclusively technical content. Finally, in June 1970, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gregorio López Bravo, signed the Preferential Agreement between Spain and the EEC, which took effect on October 1st. Under this agreement, Spain became an associate member of the Common Market with preferential treatment in trade activities (for example, the EEC reduced tariffs on Spanish products by 30 percent). Democracy and accession Obviously, the end of the Franco regime and the arrival of democracy made things easier. In 1977, the same year that the first general elections in Spain in 41 years were held, the formal application for accession was submitted, and negotiations began in 1979. Finally, the Treaty of Accession to the European Communities was signed on June 12, 1985, in the Hall of Columns of the Royal Palace of Madrid by the then Prime Minister, Felipe González. It entered into force on January 1, 1986. That date marked a true paradigm shift for a country that barely a decade earlier had begun to emerge from the far-right dictatorship of Francisco Franco. As historian Juan Sisinio Pérez Garzón recalls, with Spain's entry into the then European Economic Community, which enjoyed the consensus of virtually all political parties and broad support from the Spanish public, Spain was finally able to set aside "the deeply ingrained inferiority complex wrapped in the supposed pride of 'being different'" and, for the first time in a long time, Spaniards began to truly feel European. Since joining the European Union, Spain has been one of the countries that has benefited most from the distribution of EU funds, to the point that, with more than €185 billion in European funds for infrastructure, employment, innovation, and regional development, our country has received far more resources than those provided by the American Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe after World War II. Thanks to all that EU economic aid and access to the single market, with the resulting internationalization of the Spanish economy, per capita income has risen from €7,300 in 1986 to €31,000 in 2024, the export-to-GDP ratio, which was 15% in 1986, has increased to 34% of GDP, and Spain's Gross Domestic Product has more than doubled in these forty years. Spain in the EU: figures of change During the Multiannual Financial Framework periods of 1989–1993, 1994–1999, 2000–2006, and 2007–2013, Spain received approximately €140 billion, an amount that includes funding from the European Regional Development Fund, the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (excluding CAP direct payments), the Cohesion Fund, and the European Social Fund. In the 2014–2020 period alone, Spain received around €55 billion. This amount includes the funds mentioned above, as well as the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund, the Youth Employment Initiative, and the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived. Between 2021 and 2027, Spain has been allocated more than €35 billion in aid for investment in infrastructure, digitalization, the energy transition, and territorial cohesion. Thanks to all the EU funding for modernizing infrastructure, communications, and major public works, Spain has gone from just over 2,000 kilometers of highways in 1985 to having one of the most extensive networks in Europe, with more than 13,000 kilometers. The modernization of railways, ports, and airports has followed a similar pattern, driven largely by European funding. During this period, more than 4,000 kilometers of high-speed rail lines have been built, almost €6.7 billion has been allocated to high-speed rail infrastructure since 2007, and digital connectivity has been improved with initiatives such as WiFi4EU. In addition, Spain was initially allocated a total of €163.014 billion from the NextGenerationEU instrument, created by the EU to address the consequences of COVID-19, of which €79.854 billion were in grants and €86.160 billion in loans. The final amount that Spain will receive will depend on the amendment to the ongoing Recovery and Resilience Plan requested by the Spanish Government and its approval by the European Commission. Another important chapter of these forty years has been the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), which has transformed Spanish agriculture. Spain is now a leader in the production of olives, citrus fruits, pulses, and pork and lamb in the EU. Since joining the EU, Spain has received more than €100 billion for agriculture, and every year more than half a million farmers in Spain receive vital support through the CAP. In addition, since 1986, the Spanish fishing sector has received €4.7 billion in financial support for more than 120,000 projects. Furthermore, all this aid has helped to increase the State's financial flexibility to provide assistance to businesses and to dedicate more resources to education and public services. Schengen In 1990, another important step forward was taken with the signing, by Spain and many other European countries, of the Schengen Agreement, which eliminated border controls between these countries and allowed the free movement of people. Thanks to this agreement, which allows people to live, study, or work in any EU country and travel without borders within the Schengen Area, more than 1.6 million Spaniards have benefited from social programs such as Erasmus (which has benefited more than 700,000 Spanish students since its inception), and more than 1.4 million young people have benefited from the European Youth Guarantee employment program. Furthermore, Spain's entry into the EU has created new opportunities for workers, from access to cross-border employment to expanding national industries. In Spain, total employment has increased from 10.8 million jobs in 1986 to 21.1 million in 2024. Furthermore, Spanish researchers have received over €17 billion in funding from Horizon Europe, enabling more than 30,000 Spanish researchers to carry out their projects, with direct benefits for citizens across Europe. Maastricht and the single market In February 1992, Spain signed the Maastricht Treaty. Upon its entry into force on November 1, 1993, the EEC became the European Union. Maastricht also established cooperation on common foreign and security policy and introduced European citizenship, which grants citizens of member states the right to move, reside, and work freely throughout the European Union. The treaty also spurred the process toward a single currency, which materialized on January 1, 2002, with the introduction of the euro, and laid the foundations for the Single Market, established on January 1, 1993, to allow the free movement of goods, services, people, and capital within the EU. Thanks to access to the Single Market, one of the world's largest economic blocs, Spanish exports to Eastern Europe have increased substantially. Spanish products are in high demand in both agriculture and food, including those crucial to the Spanish economy (such as olive oil, citrus fruits, tomatoes, and wine). Currently, 67% of Spanish agricultural exports are destined for other EU countries. Furthermore, according to Brussels, the Single Market has been "essential" in helping Europe cope with the COVID-19 pandemic and the energy crisis stemming from Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Furthermore, with EU membership, countries benefit from trade agreements and preferential access to nearly 80 non-EU countries. Thanks to these agreements, Spain has enjoyed closer trade ties with global partners worldwide. Spain's global exports of goods increased from €12.6 billion in 1986 (4.9% of GDP) to €141.5 billion in 2024 (8.9% of GDP). This list of trade agreements continues to grow significantly, as the EU continues to establish links with partners around the world, from Brazil to Mexico, including Australia and Japan, and awaits the upcoming signing of the agreement with Mercosur. Cohesion fund and the euro Furthermore, in December 1992, the Edinburgh Summit agreed to create a Cohesion Fund for countries whose per capita income was below 90 percent of the EEC average, including Spain, and to increase structural funds for the poorest regions in order to reduce income inequality between them. Since 1986, Spain has received more than €150 billion in Cohesion Funds, and nearly 150,000 companies have also benefited from the EU Cohesion Programme. On January 1, 2002, the euro was officially adopted, replacing the peseta in Spain. The euro is currently the second most widely used currency in the world, after the US dollar, and its stability and credibility have made it an international invoicing currency, a store of value, and a reserve currency, representing around 20% of foreign exchange reserves. Apart from the 19 EU countries that use the euro, sixty other countries and territories worldwide have chosen to use it as their currency or to peg their own currency to it. Currently, the euro is used for almost half of all global cross-border payments and for more than half of EU exports. Foreign policy, defense, and international influence Since joining the EU, Spain has held the Presidency of the Council of the EU five times, most recently in the second half of 2023. In addition, Spain has 61 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs). The first Spanish President of the European Parliament was the socialist Enrique Barón, who held the position from 1989 to 1992. To date, only two other Spaniards have held this post: José María Gil-Robles from 1997 to 1999, and Josep Borrell, who was President of the institution from 2004 to 2007 (and also served as High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy from 2019 to 2024). Furthermore, in geopolitical terms, EU membership has allowed Spain to strengthen its international role. Spain has been a prominent advocate of EU cooperation with Latin America and the Mediterranean, priority regions in European foreign policy, and of the continent's strategic autonomy, particularly in energy, technology and defense matters, especially after the geopolitical shift resulting from the war in Ukraine.

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