On 14 January 1986, Pierre Pflimlin, President of the European Parliament, welcomes Spain, represented by King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofía, as a new member of the European Economic Community (EEC).

In this interview excerpt, Philippe de Schoutheete, Belgian Ambassador to Madrid from 1981 to 1985, describes the political, cultural and economic atmosphere that prevailed in Spain at that time, and particularly the country’s desire to join the European Communities.

In this interview excerpt, Philippe de Schoutheete, Adviser in the Belgian Embassy to Madrid from 1969 to 1972, describes the personality of Juan Carlos, then Prince of Spain, who would become King in 1975.

In this interview excerpt, Philippe de Schoutheete, Belgian Ambassador to Madrid from 1981 to 1985, describes the attempted coup d’état in Spain on 23 February 1981 and emphasises the role played by King Juan Carlos I of Spain in the failure of this coup.

On 12 June 1985, Spain’s Treaty of Accession to the European Communities is signed at the Royal Palace of Madrid. Among those present are HRH Juan Carlos, King of Spain, Fernando Morán López, Spanish Foreign Minister, Manuel Marín González, State Secretary for Relations with the European Economic Community, and Felipe González, Spanish Prime Minister.

On 23 March 2006, at an official ceremony held to mark the 20th anniversary of the accession to the European Union (EU) of Spain and Portugal, José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, Spanish Prime Minister, José Sócrates, Portuguese Prime Minister, and Josep Borrell, President of the European Parliament, emphasise the symbolic importance of senior European posts being held by Spanish and Portuguese figures.

In this interview, Catherine Lalumière, former French Junior Minister for European Affairs, describes the position adopted by French President François Mitterrand in 1984–1985, during the final stage of the negotiations for the accession of Spain and Portugal to the European Communities.

In this interview, Jean François-Poncet, former Secretary-General of the Presidency of the French Republic and former French Foreign Minister, discusses the issues surrounding the possible accession of Spain and Portugal to the European Communities and the importance of agricultural issues in this matter.

In this interview, Íñigo Méndez de Vigo, a Member of the European Parliament from 1992 to 2011, a Member of the Convention on the Charter of Fundamental Rights and a Member of the Convention on the Future of Europe, emphasises the enthusiasm that Spain has injected into the European project.