On 13 September 1980, in a televised interview, José Pedro Pérez-Llorca pays tribute to Salvador de Madariaga y Rojo, who played a fundamental role in Spain’s integration into Europe.

In this interview, 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, Marcelino Oreja, Diplomat in the Spanish Foreign Ministry from 1960 to 1976, describes the establishment of closer relations between Spain and Europe through the country’s accession to the OEEC and other international organisations, and particularly as a result of the preferential trade agreement between Spain and the European Economic Community (EEC), signed in 1970. He also gives his views on the 1962 Munich Congress, which symbolised the need for reconciliation in Spain.

In this interview, Philippe de Schoutheete, Adviser in the Belgian Embassy to Madrid from 1969 to 1972, describes the relations between Spain and the European Communities during this period.

In this interview, Carlos María Bru Purón, representative of the Spanish Federal Council of the European Movement at the Munich Congress in 1962, discusses the development of a Europeanist sentiment in Franco’s Spain, of his exile after the Second World War, and of Europeanist activism, making particular reference to the Munich Congress.

Report by Robert van Schendel, Secretary General of the European Movement, submitted between 1960 and 1961. This report concludes with a positive assessment of the awareness among the Spanish general public of the question of closer European unity. Van Schendel also emphasises the rigid European policy of the Franco regime and stresses that, even if Spain has demonstrated remarkable economic openness, its political system has yet to develop in a similar vein. The author appreciates the significant impact of the Europeanist groups established in Spain on the basis of the principles of the European Movement.

Document du 30 mai 1960, présenté aux évêques de Vitoria, Saint-Sébastien, Bilbao et Pampelune par 339 prêtres de leurs diocèses, critiquant la situation politique en Espagne en général, et au Pays basque en particulier. Ce document met l’accent sur l’absence de liberté politique en Espagne, ainsi que sur les faibles garanties d’un procès équitable, et déplore les tortures dans les commissariats de police. D'ailleurs, le document condamne le système politique de parti unique, dans lequel un syndicat et un parlement sont sous la responsabilité du chef de l’État. En outre, il dénonce la «persécution des caractéristiques ethniques, linguistiques et sociales (…) des Basques» et promeut l'usage de la langue basque.

Letter sent on 28 September 1960 by Émile Noël, Executive Secretary of the Commission of the European Economic Community (EEC), to Christian Calmes, Secretary-General of the Council of the EEC, to notify him of Spain’s request to establish a diplomatic mission to the EEC.

In a letter dated 30 September 1960 sent to the members of the Council of the European Economic Community, the institution’s Secretary-General, Christian Calmes, initiates the written procedure with a view to the establishment of a Spanish mission to the Community.

In a letter dated 4 November 1960, Christian Calmes, Secretary-General of the Council of the European Economic Community, notifies the members of the Council that the agreement of the institution regarding the establishment of a Spanish mission to the Community was secured the previous day and initiates the written procedure with a view to the appointment of the Count of Casa Miranda as Head of Mission.

Par lettre du 28 novembre 1960, le secrétaire général du Conseil de la Communauté économique européenne (CEE), Christian Calmes, informe les membres du Conseil que l'accord de l'institution concernant la désignation du Comte de Casa Miranda en qualité de chef de la mission de l'Espagne auprès de la CEE a été acquis deux jours auparavant.

On 1 December 1960, the Council of the European Economic Community (EEC) announces to the press the establishment of a Spanish Mission to the EEC, as well as the appointment of Carlos de Miranda y Quartin, Count of Casa Miranda, as Head of Mission.

On 9 December 1960, the Commission of the European Economic Community (EEC) announces to the press the presentation to the President of the Commission, Walter Hallstein, of Ambassador Count of Casa Miranda’s letters of accreditation, in his capacity as Head of the Spanish Mission to the EEC.

In 1960, the Franco Government decides to establish diplomatic relations with the European Economic Community (EEC). On 9 December 1960, in Brussels, the Count of Casa Miranda (left), Spanish Ambassador to Belgium, presents his credentials to Walter Hallstein, President of the Commission of the EEC, as Head of the Mission of Spain to the Community.

On 14 December 1960, at the Château de la Muette in Paris, Spain signs the Convention on the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), along with 19 other countries. Spain’s accession to the organisation’s predecessor, the Organisation for European Economic Cooperation (OEEC), in 1959, had marked a new stage in its rapprochement with Europe.

Appearance of Alberto Martín Artajo, Head of the European Documentation and Information Centre in Madrid, and Manuel Fraga Iribarne, Secretary of the Centre, before the Committee on Non-Represented Nations of the Council of Europe’s Consultative Assembly on 29 March 1961 regarding the situation in Spain.

Statement made by a Spanish resident to the Council of Europe’s Committee on Non-Represented Nations on 4 August 1961 regarding the economic, political and social situation in Spain under the Franco regime.

Report by the Council of Europe’s Committee on Non-Represented Nations on the situation in Spain, prepared by Annemarie Renger, Rapporteur, and unanimously adopted by the Committee on 6 November 1961 for submission to the Political Committee; more commonly known as the ‘Renger Report’.

Appearance of Salvador de Madariaga, President of the Spanish Federal Council of the European Movement, Pascual Tomas, General Secretary of the General Union of Spanish Workers in Exile, Rodolfo Llopis, General Secretary of the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party, and Enrique Gironella, General Secretary of the Spanish Federal Council of the European Movement, before the Committee on Non-Represented Nations of the Council of Europe’s Consultative Assembly on 16 December 1961 regarding the political situation in Spain.

On 19 December 1961, the European Parliamentary Assembly unanimously adopts the report drawn up on behalf of the Political Committee on the political and institutional aspects of accession to or association with the European Economic Community (EEC). In 1964, the Birkelbach Report is used as a reference document during the Council’s deliberations on the response to be given to Spain’s application for accession to the EEC.

Liste des participants espagnols au congrès de Munich, organisé par le Mouvement européen et se déroulant les 7 et 8 juin 1962. Ce congrès rassemble l’opposition espagnole au sein du pays et à l’extérieur, et établit les conditions de base en vue d’une future adhésion de l’Espagne aux Communautés européennes. Ces conditions incluent l'existence d'institutions démocratiques, ainsi que la garantie des droits et libertés individuels, la liberté syndicale et la pluralité des partis politiques.

Document de 1962 qui aborde diverses propositions et idées qui seront présentées au chef de l’État espagnol pendant la dictature, Francisco Franco, et au ministre des Affaires étrangères espagnol, Fernando María Castiella, par la délégation du Mouvement européen et envoyé comme réponse aux représailles du régime contre les participants espagnols au congrès de Munich. Ce document met l’accent sur l’approche anticommuniste du Mouvement européen ainsi que sur le processus de construction européenne. Cependant, il rappelle la nécessité d'une démocratie comme condition préalable à l’adhésion aux Communautés européennes. À cet égard, les représentants du Mouvement européen soulignent que les mesures répressives adoptées par le régime franquiste après le congrès de Munich constituent un obstacle évident pour une future adhésion.

Déclaration de la gauche démocrate-chrétienne exposant ses principes idéologiques et ses lignes directrices. Ses représentants insistent dans ce document sur la défense de l’égalité et des libertés fondamentales, la propriété privée, le pacifisme, leur soutien à la classe ouvrière et la création d’entités et d’institutions intermédiaires entre l’individu et l’État. En ce qui concerne la politique étrangère, ils estiment que l’incorporation de l’Espagne dans diverses organisations régionales européennes est fondamentale pour l’approfondissement du processus d’intégration européenne.

Note envoyée en 1962 au baron Boel, trésorier du Mouvement européen, l'informant de la participation de représentants espagnols au congrès du Mouvement européen se tenant à Munich les 7 et 8 juin 1962. Cette note indique que, parmi les participants espagnols, il y avait une quarantaine d’exilés et presque 80 représentants de l’opposition interne en Espagne. Le document fait également référence à la décision d’envoyer une délégation du Mouvement européen à Madrid en guise de protestation par rapport aux représailles du régime contre les participants espagnols au congrès de Munich, incluant l’exil ou la déportation vers les Îles Canaries.

Note drafted by Spain’s General Department of International Organisations in Madrid on 24 January 1962 on the economic, social and political benefits that association with the European Economic Community might offer Spain in the context of the European integration process in the 1960s.

Information document drafted by the Spanish socialists in exile in February 1962 in which they express their opposition to the opening of negotiations between Franco’s Spain and the European Economic Community.

Letter from Fernando María Castiella, Spanish Foreign Minister, to Maurice Couve de Murville, President of the Council of Ministers of the European Economic Community, requesting that negotiations be opened to examine a possible association between Spain and the European Economic Community.

Spain’s application for association with the European Economic Community (EEC), dated 9 February 1962, submitted by Fernando María Castiella, Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs, to Maurice Couve de Murville, President-in-Office of the Council of the EEC.

On 10 February 1962, the Italian daily newspaper Corriere della Sera comments on Spain's application for association with the European Economic Community (EEC).

Lettre envoyée le 17 février 1962 par Jorge Prat Ballester, président de l’Institut d’études européennes, à Maurice Faure, président du Mouvement européen, dans laquelle il exprime sa satisfaction par rapport à la demande d’adhésion de l’Espagne aux Communautés européennes. D’ailleurs, Prat Ballester lui confirme l’engagement de l’Institut vis-à-vis des principes du Mouvement européen.

Lettre envoyée le 22 février 1962 par Eduardo Tarragona, président de la commission établie pour rendre hommage à l’Institut d’études européennes de Barcelone, à Robert van Schendel, secrétaire général du Mouvement européen, dans laquelle il demande à van Schendel d'apporter son soutien public afin de donner plus de visibilité à la demande d’adhésion de l’Espagne à la Communauté économique européenne.

Lettre envoyée le 28 février 1962 par José María Gil-Robles, président de l’Association espagnole de coopération européenne (AECE), à Maurice Faure, président du Mouvement européen, dans laquelle il présente les travaux de diffusion réalisés par l’AECE pour promouvoir les principes fondamentaux du processus de construction européenne. Gil-Robles se félicite aussi dans cette lettre de la demande d’adhésion de l’Espagne à la Communauté économique européenne (CEE), formulée le 9 février 1962.

In a letter dated 7 March 1962, Maurice Couve de Murville, President-in-Office of the Council of the European Economic Community (EEC), acknowledges receipt of the letter sent by Fernando María Castiella, Spanish Foreign Minister, dated 9 February 1962, in which Spain requests association with the EEC.

Lettre envoyée le 10 mars 1962 par José María Gil-Robles, président de l’Association espagnole de coopération européenne (AECE), à Enrico Mattei, représentant démocrate-chrétien et fondateur de l’Ente Nazionali Idrocarburi (ENI), dans laquelle il l'invite à donner une conférence à l’AECE. Gil-Robles exprime aussi son souhait de voir l’AECE organiser une campagne d’information avec des rapporteurs espagnols et étrangers afin de susciter une prise de conscience des questions européennes auprès de l’opinion publique espagnole. D’ailleurs, la lettre met l’accent sur la nécessité de faire de profondes réformes politiques et socio-économiques en Espagne si le pays aspire à adhérer à la Communauté économique européenne.

Note analysing the main points of the Renger Report on the situation in Spain, submitted and adopted in the Council of Europe on 6 November 1961.

Article written by Jacobus Albertus Wilhelmus Burger, President of the Netherlands Socialist parliamentary group, published on 2 April 1962 in the Courrier Socialiste Européen, criticising the possibility of Spain’s future accession to or association with the European Communities.

Lettre envoyée le 3 avril 1962 par Enrique Gironella, secrétaire général du Conseil fédéral espagnol du Mouvement européen, à Robert Van Schendel, secrétaire général du Mouvement européen, par laquelle il l'informe du cycle de conférences organisé par l’Association espagnole de coopération européenne (AECE), présidée par José María Gil-Robles. L’organisation de ce cycle de conférences s’inscrit dans un contexte d’engagement, avec la diffusion à l’opinion publique des principes du processus de construction européenne suite à la demande espagnole d’adhésion à la Communauté économique européenne.

Lettre de Maurice Faure, président du Mouvement européen, par laquelle il invite les destinataires à participer au congrès du Mouvement européen qui aura lieu à Munich les 7 et 8 juin 1962. Le congrès sera consacré à la démocratisation des institutions européennes et à la création d’une communauté politique qui puisse se calquer sur le modèle des «États-Unis d’Europe». Dans le cadre du congrès, un rapport présenté par Pierre Wigny, ancien ministre belge des Affaires étrangères, sera examiné. On compte sur la présence des plus hauts responsables de la vie politique, culturelle, économique et sociale des différents pays européens.

Déclaration de mai 1962 de la Confédération nationale du travail (CNT), présentant les principes fondamentaux de cette organisation. Parmi ces principes figurent la critique du matérialisme et l’adhésion au socialisme communautaire et au syndicalisme libertaire perçus comme des chemins vers la liberté et l’autogouvernement, ainsi que la fondation d’une société plus juste et plus égalitaire. Cette déclaration de principes s’inscrit dans le cadre d’une étude menée par le Mouvement européen sur la diversité des tendances et des approches de l’opposition au franquisme au sein même du pays.

Lettre envoyée le 10 mai 1962 par Robert van Schendel, secrétaire général du Mouvement européen, à Jean Monnet, président du Comité d’action pour les États-Unis d’Europe, par laquelle il lui transmet une invitation de José María Gil-Robles, président de l’Association espagnole de coopération européenne (AECE), à participer à une campagne d’information sur le processus de construction européenne. Il joint d'ailleurs la liste des participants à cette campagne d'information.

Lettre envoyée le 10 mai 1962 par Robert van Schendel, secrétaire général du Mouvement européen, à Hans Furler, président du conseil allemand du Mouvement européen, par laquelle il lui transmet une invitation de José María Gil-Robles, président de l’Association espagnole de coopération européenne (AECE), à participer à une campagne d’information sur le processus de construction européenne. Il joint d'ailleurs la liste des participants à cette campagne d'information.

Lettre envoyée le 11 mai 1962 par Fernando Álvarez de Miranda, secrétaire de l’Association espagnole de coopération européenne (AECE), à Robert van Schendel, secrétaire général du Mouvement européen, dans laquelle il l'informe que Juan Luis de Simón Tobalina, vice-président de l’AECE, n’a pas reçu l’invitation pour le congrès de Munich, organisé par le Mouvement européen. Le congrès de Munich du Mouvement européen constitue un événement majeur dans l’évolution de la participation espagnole au processus de construction européenne, ainsi qu’une opportunité de rencontre des représentants de l’opposition au franquisme au sein même du pays avec ceux qui sont en exil.

Recommendation 314 (1962) of 17 May 1962 asking the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe to encourage the Member States of the European Economic Community (EEC) to examine the possibility of concluding an economic agreement with Spain.

Lettre envoyée le 28 mai 1962 par Enrique Gironella, secrétaire général du conseil fédéral espagnol du Mouvement européen, à Robert van Schendel, secrétaire général du Mouvement européen, dans laquelle il lui présente la liste des membres de la délégation espagnole qui feront partie du congrès de Munich, organisé par le Mouvement européen en juin 1962. Cet événement constituera un moment-clé dans la participation de l’Espagne au processus de construction européenne, puisqu'il sera le lieu de rencontre entre les opposants au régime franquiste au sein même du pays et ceux en exil, leur permettant d'entamer un dialogue sur un avenir européen et démocratique pour l’Espagne.

Lettre du 30 mai 1962 adressée à Robert van Schendel, secrétaire général du Mouvement européen, signée par Pedro Laín Entralgo, Julián Marías, José Luis L. Aranguren et Fernando Chueca Goitia, dans laquelle ils lui font savoir qu’ils ne pourront pas assister au colloque et au congrès organisé par le Mouvement européen à Munich en juin 1962. Toujours est-il que ces intellectuels démocrates et européistes proposent la lecture publique de cette lettre à cette occasion. Le processus de construction européenne y est présenté comme la solution adéquate face au retour dangereux des nationalismes en Europe. D’ailleurs, les auteurs de cette lettre appuient l’idée que l’Espagne doit intégrer, à l’avenir, l’Europe communautaire, une adhésion qui représente, à leur avis, une nécessité pour l’Europe.

Lettre du 21 juin 1962 d’Enrique Gironella, secrétaire général du conseil fédéral espagnol du Mouvement européen, dans laquelle il mentionne l’inclusion d’un texte signé par des personnalités de divers pays européens où elles montrent leur soutien apporté aux démocrates espagnols qui ont été condamnés par le régime franquiste pour avoir participé au congrès de Munich du Mouvement européen de juin 1962. Ce congrès constitue un moment-clé dans la participation de l’Espagne au processus de construction européenne, puisqu'il est le lieu de rencontre entre les opposants au régime franquiste au sein même du pays et ceux en exil, leur permettant d'entamer un dialogue sur un avenir européen et démocratique pour l’Espagne.

In this letter dated 5 July 1962 sent to Maurice Faure, President of the European Movement, the European Movement delegation to Madrid informs him of the meeting with Francisco Franco, leader of Spain during the dictatorship from 1939 to 1975, and Fernando María Castiella, Spanish Foreign Minister. The European Movement delegation affirms its opposition to the sanctions imposed by the Franco regime over the participation in the Munich Congress of pro-European Spaniards living in exile or in hiding, and calls for a reappraisal of these harsh, repressive measures.

Letter sent by the Spanish Ambassador to Brussels to Fernando María Castiella, Spanish Foreign Minister, in which he analyses the various European positions on the enlargement of the Common Market and proposes the policy that the government should pursue in view of possible accession negotiations.

Transcription of an article published in the Italian periodical 24 Ore on 10 February 1963 on the potential consequences for the Italian economy of the Spain’s future accession to the Common Market and the position to adopt in such circumstances.

‘Metamorphosis in Spain.’ In May 1963, cartoonist Behrendt looks back at 27 years of Spanish history under the Franco regime.

Letter dated 20 September 1963 from Pierre Pflimlin, President of the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe, to Paul Struye, Chairman of the Political Committee of the Council of Europe, on the situation in Spain. This letter refers to the proposal for a resolution put forward on 9 February 1961 by British delegate Sir Peter Michael Kirk and several of his colleagues. An extract from the report of the ninth plenary session of the fifteenth period of the ordinary session of the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe is enclosed. In this letter, Pierre Pflimlin informs Paul Struye, via Karl Czernetz, that the socialist group has notified the Consultative Assembly that it wants the Political Committee to specify why this Assembly does not deem it necessary to adopt measures on the resolution proposed by Sir Peter Michael Kirk on the situation in Spain, given that it is not possible to lose sight of ‘the crimes of a brutal military dictatorship’.

Paper published between 1964 and 1968 setting out the organisational structure of the European Federalist Movement (MFE). This document includes an invitation to join the Basque Country section of the MFE, which is based on the principle of mutual respect between all the peoples of Europe and offers them an effective forum where they can best express their views at regional level.

Information note drafted by the Spanish Foreign Policy Secretariat on the session of the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe in January 1964 to discuss the political situation in Spain.

In a letter sent on 14 February 1964 to Paul-Henri Spaak, President-in-Office of the Council of the European Economic Community (EEC), the Count of Casa Miranda, Head of the Spanish Diplomatic Mission to the European Communities, renews the Spanish Government’s application for association with the EEC.

Projet de calendrier de la première partie de la sixième session ordinaire de l’assemblée consultative du Conseil de l’Europe (lundi 20 – vendredi 24 avril 1964, adopté le 24 février 1964), durant laquelle le projet de résolution de Willy Bretscher, membre de l’assemblée du Conseil de l’Europe, doit être voté. Ce projet concerne la situation de l’Espagne et a été présenté par la commission politique.

Transcripción de la intervención de Paul-Henri Spaak, Ministro de Asuntos Exteriores de Bélgica, ante el Senado de Bélgica en el marco de un debate parlamentario sobre si España debe entrar o no en el mercado común y, en caso afirmativo, cuáles serían las condiciones.

Count de Casa Miranda, Spanish Ambassador to Brussels, writes a letter to Fernando María Castiella, Foreign Minister, examining the statement that Paul-Henri Spaak delivered to the Belgian Senate on 5 March 1964 concerning Spain’s request to open talks with the European Economic Community.

Letter dated 16 March 1964 from Peter Smithers, Secretary General elect of the Council of Europe, to John B. Hynd, Member of the UK Parliament, on the situation in Spain. This letter follows on from the letter sent on 23 February 1964, which referred to a possible invitation by Spain to the Council of Europe to carry out an on-the-spot examination of the social arrangements in the country, particularly focusing on the development of the trade unions. This second letter recommends waiting to take a decision on this matter until after the debate due to be held in April at the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe.

Letter of 26 March 1964 in which the Permanent Representative for Spain to the OECD, Ambassador José Núñez Iglesias, reports to Fernando María Castiella, Spanish Foreign Minister, on the meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Common Market held in Brussels in order to discuss Spain’s request to open negotiations.

Notes by the Catalan National Council submitted to the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe in April 1964 on the repression exercised by the Franco regime in the Catalan region.

Article published in Spanish translation in the Boletín Oficial de Información de Europa in November 1963 on the official visit to the Netherlands of the Commissioner for the Spanish Economic Development Plan, Laureano López Rodó, from 20 to 24 November 1963.

Note drafted by the Director-General of Economic Relations, Faustino Armijo y Gallardo, and the Director-General of International Organisations, Francisco Javier Elorza, outlining the reasons why Spain is unable to accept a simple trade agreement with the European Economic Community.

Article published in the Swiss daily newspaper Journal de Genève on 10 May 1964 regarding the political debate launched in Brussels at the request of Spain, in which the Socialist groups are particularly involved.

Proposal by Ramón Sedó Gómez, Director-General for Foreign Policy, to José María de Areilza, Spanish Ambassador to Rome, on the strategy to pursue regarding the position that Paul-Henri Spaak intends to adopt within the European Economic Community, whereby he links the accession negotiations to the political nature of the Spanish regime.

In a letter sent on 2 June 1964 to Fernando María Castiella, Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Paul-Henri Spaak, President-in-Office of the Council of the European Economic Community (EEC), responds favourably to the Spanish Government’s request to begin exploratory talks in order to consider the links to be established between Spain and the EEC.

Resolution 278 (1964) of 3 November 1964 on the situation in Spain, by which the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe decides that the current circumstances do not permit the application of the measures proposed by British delegate Sir Peter Michael Kirk in 1961. This resolution also tasks the Council of Europe’s Political Committee with monitoring the development of events in Spain.

The Director-General of International Organisations in the Spanish Foreign Ministry sends a draft version to the Spanish Ambassador in London of the statement that the Spanish delegation is due to make at the first session of talks with the European Economic Community. The text focuses on the arguments for association in the fields of economy and identity.

On 4 March 1965, José Núñez Iglesias (on the left), new Head of the Spanish Mission to the European Community, hands his letters of credence to Walter Hallstein, President of the European Commission.

On 28 October 1965, Alberto Ullastres Calvo (on the left), hands his letters of credence as new Head of the Spanish Mission to the Community to Walter Hallstein, President of the European Economic Community (EEC) Commission.

Fernando María Castiella, Spanish Foreign Minister, sends a circular to his Ambassador in London containing a statement made by the Foreign Minister of the Federal Republic of Germany, Gerhard Schroeder, to the Friends of the University of Cologne on 28 April 1966 on the possibility that the countries of the Common Market will reach an agreement with Spain.

The article published in the daily newspaper Madrid on 5 November 1966 reports on the statement made by Alberto Ullastres, Spanish Ambassador to the European Economic Community, in which he describes rapprochement to the Common Market as an issue affecting all sectors of the economy.

Letter sent from Paul Legarralde, President of the Basque Country section of the European Federalist Movement (MFE), to Jean-Pierre Gouzy, Secretary-General of the MFE in France, on 22 December 1966. In this letter, Legarralde explains that the Basque Country section of the MFE has been successfully set up but that for the time being a campaign will not be carried out in the Basque Country because of the forthcoming elections in France.

Letter sent from René Jousse, Administrative Secretary of the French National Committee of the European Federalist Movement (MFE), to Paul Legarralde, President of the Basque Country section of the MFE, on 29 December 1966. In this letter, Jousse answers the questions on contributions that Legarralde set out in his letter of 22 December 1966. Jousse then asks to be sent ten leaflets from the Basque Country section and invites Legarralde to take part in the meeting of the French National Committee to be held on 29 January 1967.

Letter sent by Jean-Pierre Gouzy, Secretary-General of the European Federalist Movement (MFE) in France, to Jorge Ramón Sarasa Juanto, representative of Amigos del País on the MFE Central Committee, on 30 January 1967. In this letter, Gouzy informs Sarasa Juanto that he will raise the question of the establishment of a European committee for ethnic rights at the forthcoming meeting of the Executive Bureau on 11 February. Gouzy also says that he will ask for this matter to be added to the agenda of the Central Committee for its meeting on 21 April. Finally, he regrets that Sarasa Juanto’s request to address the Swedish Academy in Stockholm will not be possible.

Meeting in Brussels on 2 and 3 February 1967, the Executive Committee of the European Trade Union Secretariat sends a telegram to the Spanish Ambassador to Brussels, Alberto Ullastres Calvo, in which it expresses its indignation at the abusive treatment inflicted by the Franco regime on numerous Spanish workers and students.

Note drafted by the General Department of International Organisations on the progress of talks between Spain and the European Economic Community during the period from 9 February 1962, the date on which the initial request was made for negotiations to be opened, to June 1967.

On 28 June 1967, at a press conference, Renaat Elslande, Belgian Foreign Minister and President-in-Office of the Council, discusses the preparation of a mandate for negotiations with Spain in anticipation of the signing of a preferential trade agreement. The agreement would be made official in 1970.

On 21 September 1967, in the JECL building in Brussels (so named because it is bordered by Avenue de la Joyeuse Entrée, Cortenbergh and Rue de la Loi), the negotiations for the signing of a preferential trade agreement between Spain and the European Communities begin. Alberto Ullastres Calvo, Spanish Permanent Representative to the European Communities, leads the Spanish delegation, while Axel Herbst, Director-General of Directorate-General I (DG I) for External Relations, heads the delegation of the Commission of the European Communities.

Spanish statement made at the first session of negotiations with the Common Market, held on 21 and 22 September 1967, outlining the general approach and working method adopted for the negotiating process.

An article published in the 8 November 1976 edition of the bulletin Europe reports on the problems encountered during the process of negotiations between Spain and the European Communities for the establishment of a trade agreement, particularly in the agricultural and industrial sectors.

Note drafted by the Director-General of International Organisations on the Spanish position, reactions in the Community and general opinions expressed during the second session of negotiations with the Common Market, held in Brussels from 7 to 10 November 1967.

The Director-General for Cooperation and International Economic Relations sends to the Marquis of Santa Cruz, Spanish Ambassador to London, a copy of a letter sent by Alberto Ullastres, Head of the Spanish Mission to the European Communities, to the Spanish Foreign Minister, Fernando María Castiella, about a meeting held on 28 March 1968 with the State Secretary for Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany, Rolf Lahr, and the Spanish Ambassador to Bonn, José Sebastián de Erice, to exchange views on the negotiation process launched between Spain and the European Economic Community.

The Director-General of International Organisations in the Spanish Foreign Ministry sends a copy to the Spanish Ambassador to London of a letter sent by the French Ambassador to Madrid to the Spanish Foreign Minister, Fernando María Castiella, containing information on France’s attitude to Spain’s application for association with the Common Market.

In July 1969, Juan Carlos is sworn in in the presence of Franco, thus becoming Prince of Spain.

On 28 October 1969, a few months after General Franco appoints HRH Juan Carlos as his successor, negotiations are held between the Spanish delegation, chaired by the Ambassador to the European Communities, Alberto Ullastres Calvo, and the Commission of the European Communities for the signing of a preferential trade agreement.

On 6 December 1969, in Brussels, Juan Carlos de Bourbon, Prince of Spain, welcomes Jean Rey, President of the Commission of the European Economic Community (EEC), on a private visit to the European institutions.

On 29 June 1970, in Luxembourg, a preferential trade agreement is signed between the Commission of the European Communities and Spain, represented by Gregorio López Bravo, Spanish Foreign Minister. An additional protocol would be approved on 29 January 1973 at Val Duchesse, Belgium.

The Council Regulation of 20 July 1970 concludes the preferential trade agreement between the European Economic Community (EEC) and Spain signed in Luxembourg on 29 June 1970.

The Council Regulation of 20 July 1970 sets out the procedure for the implementation of the protective clause provided for in Article 11 of the preferential trade agreement between the European Economic Community and Spain signed in Luxembourg on 29 June 1970.

Le 15 août 1970, la revue Triunfo, qui adhère aux idées des opposants au régime franquiste et qui accorde une attention particulière à un possible futur européen pour une Espagne démocratique, présente les lignes directrices de la politique économique et de la politique étrangère du chancelier allemand Willy Brandt, analysant ses retombées au niveau international. Tout d’abord, il faut souligner que l’économie allemande, qui repose sur l’industrie mécanique, sidérurgique, optique et chimique, est devenue la deuxième économie du monde grâce à ses exportations, après les États-Unis. En matière de politique étrangère, Willy Brandt espère promouvoir, à travers l’Ostpolitik, une certaine libéralisation dans les zones sous influence soviétique, ce à quoi s'opposent Washington et Moscou. Avec son objectif à long terme visant à réintégrer la République fédérale allemande dans l’ordre politique international, Brandt reste dans la lignée de l’ancien chancelier Konrad Adenauer.

Article published in the Parisian newspaper Combat on 12 January 1971 on the changes and economic development in Spain since the 1960s.

In a press release issued on 15 February 1971, the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) and the World Confederation of Labour (WCL) criticise the repressive measures directed by the Francoist regime in Spain at Basque workers who had gone on strike in protest at the ‘Burgos Trials’ held in December 1970.

Statement on trade relations with Europe made by the Spanish Ambassador to the European Communities, Alberto Ullastres, in Reus during the visit of Pierre Bertin, Head of the Wines Division of the European Economic Community, and published in the Barcelona newspaper El Noticiero Universal on 22 May 1971.

In its 30 June 1971 edition, the Spanish periodical Informaciones reports on a statement made by André Bettencourt, French Minister for Development and Territorial Planning, on his government’s support for Spain’s increased integration into the European Common Market.

On 29 October 1971, Gregorio López-Bravo, Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs, informs his counterparts in the European Economic Community of his government’s fears at seeing the balance of trade established by the 1970 agreement profoundly disturbed by the enlargement of the Community and by its preferential relations with the member countries of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA).

Le 29 octobre 1971, Gregorio López-Bravo, ministre espagnol des Affaires étrangères, demande au président de la Commission, Franco Maria Malfatti, de tenir compte de la lettre qu’il a adressée le même jour à ses homologues de la Communauté économique européenne sur les répercussions pour l’Espagne de l’élargissement de la Communauté.

On 29 February 1972, Gaston Thorn, Luxembourg Minster for Foreign Affairs and President-in-Office of the Council of the European Communities, replies on behalf of his colleagues to the letter sent on 29 October 1971 by the Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Gregorio López-Bravo, to his counterparts in the European Economic Community. In his reply, he assures the Spanish Minister that the Council will give careful consideration to the problems that the enlargement of the Community could cause for the Trade Agreement concluded with Spain in 1970.

Demandés en 1972 par le Conseil aux services de la Commission, ces tableaux présentent les données essentielles relatives à l’accord commercial entre la Communauté économique européenne (CEE) et l’Espagne dans le cadre de l’élargissement de la Communauté en 1973 à trois nouveaux membres.

On 21 December 1972, the EEC holds the final session of negotiations with Spain with a view to the conclusion of a Protocol to the 1970 Trade Agreement. A memorandum, drawn up by the Commission for Member States’ observers, outlines the proceedings of the meeting.

In this press release, issued on 22 December 1972, the Commission of the European Communities announces the end of the negotiations between Spain and the European Economic Community (EEC) conducted with a view to the conclusion of a Protocol to the Preferential Trade Agreement, signed on 29 June 1970, so as to take account of the accession of three new Member States to the EEC in 1973.

On 29 January 1973, at the Château de Val Duchesse in Auderghem, the additional protocol to the 1970 preferential trade agreement is signed by the Commission of the European Communities, represented by its President François-Xavier Ortoli, and Spain, represented by Spanish Foreign Minister Gregorio López Bravo.

On 29 January 1973, in Brussels, the European Economic Community and Spain sign a protocol to the preferential trade agreement of 29 June 1970. According to this protocol, the preferential measures laid down in the agreement are not applicable, during 1973, to trade between Spain and the three new members of the Community — Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom.

On 29 January 1973, the additional protocol to the preferential trade agreement established in 1970 between the European Economic Community (EEC) and Spain as a result of the accession of three new Member States to the EEC (the United Kingdom, Denmark and Ireland) is signed at the Château de Val Duchesse. From left to right: Gregorio López-Bravo, Spanish Foreign Minister, Renaat Van Elslande, Belgian Foreign Minister and President-in-Office of the Council of the EEC, and François Xavier Ortoli, President of the Commission of the EEC.

The Council Regulation of 26 February 1973 concludes the Protocol to the preferential trade agreement signed in Brussels on 29 January 1973 by the European Economic Community (EEC) and Spain because of the accession of three new Member States to the EEC.

Article published in the weekly Triunfo on 1 February 1975 on the relationship between the Spanish economy and Europe after the signing of the preferential trade agreement in 1970.

In June 1975, as Franco nears death, the cartoonist, Horst Haitzinger, takes an ironic look at the famous phrase spoken by the dictator about his succession by the future king, Juan Carlos: ‘Everything has been tied up, well tied up.’

On 7 June 1975, the weekly Triunfo publishes an interview with Felipe González, General Secretary of the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE), on the meeting in Les Landes, France, between the General Secretaries of the Mediterranean Socialist Parties.

On 7 June 1975, the journal Triunfo publishes an interview with Felipe González, General Secretary of the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party. In this interview, González outlines the conclusions of the meeting in the Landes at which socialists from the various Mediterranean countries made proposals about the development of European political unity. González rejects the idea of creating a Mediterranean socialist bloc alongside a Nordic bloc. He also announces that topics addressed at the next conference will include the importance of the Mediterranean in the geopolitical architecture of the Cold War, relations between Europe and the United States and cooperation between socialists and communists, not forgetting the tensions in Portugal, which González believes could represent a considerable obstacle for the development of a democratic alternative in Spain.

On 6 October 1975, the nine Foreign Ministers of the European Economic Community express their concern over the political situation in Spain.

On 20 November 1975, on a street in Madrid, the people of the Spanish capital read the newspapers announcing the death of General Franco.

On 21 November 1975, following the death of Franco, the French communist daily newspaper L’Humanité looks back over nearly 40 years of Fascist dictatorship in Spain and speculates on the country’s political future.

On 22 November 1975, Juan Carlos becomes King of Spain. In this photo, King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofía respond to the cheers of the crowd from the balcony of the Royal Palace.

In October 1976, in a background note, the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union outlines the history of relations between the European Economic Community (EEC) and Spain from 1972, beginning with the initial study of problems connected with the adaptation of the Preferential Trade Agreement, to 1976, ending with the EEC’s aim to conclude a new agreement with Spain as part of a new comprehensive Mediterranean strategy.

After General Franco’s death in 1975, French cartoonist Plantu takes an ironic look at the rapid conversion of Franco supporters to democracy in their frenetic race towards Europe.

Document drafted by Jean Laleure, member of the Socialist Group in the European Parliament, on the political situation in Spain after more than 30 years of the Franco regime.

Response from the Italian Government to the Spanish request to open negotiations with the European Economic Community, submitted by Fernando María Castiella on 9 February 1962.

Text of the declaration made by the Spanish delegation at the first session of talks with the Commission of the European Economic Community, outlining the main geographical, historical, cultural and economic arguments in favour of Spain’s accession to the Community.

Note which analyses the reactions in the French press to the news of the Spanish Government’s request to open negotiations with the European Economic Community, particularly with regard to the allusion made by Spanish Foreign Minister Fernando María Castiella that the country’s association might result in full membership of the Common Market.

Article by Laureano López Rodó, Commissioner-General of the Spanish Development Plan, published in Foreign Affairs in October 1965 as an international presentation of the Economic and Social Development Plan implemented in Spain; this plan demonstrates the government’s commitment to integration into the world economy, particularly the European Common Market.

Information note drafted by the Spanish Embassy to Paris on the new Europeanist direction of Spanish foreign policy since the arrival of Fernando María Castiella at the Spanish Foreign Ministry.

In a document annexed to a letter by the Spanish Ambassador to Rome, Alfredo Sánchez Bella, the diplomat sets out the main political and economic arguments that the Franco Government can use to defend its application to the European Common Market.

The Spanish Mission to the European Communities prepares a draft with the main points to negotiate and the arguments to put forward in Brussels to support the Spanish application for accession to the European Economic Community, with particular emphasis on economic and trade matters and on the points of the Treaty of Rome that could be accepted in full or with slight modifications.

Essay by José María Areilza, Spanish Ambassador to Paris, on the future of the European integration process in the area of political and military unification, as well as the possibilities that would be raised by the accession of the United Kingdom, given the country’s traditional close relationship with the United States.