In this interview, Marcelino Oreja explains his role as Government Delegate to the Basque Country in 1980 and his experience as Member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe between 1982 and 1983 after having personally contributed to Spain's accession to the Council of Europe. He also mentions the stages in his political political career which enabled him to become Secretary General of the Council of Europe in 1984.

On 22 September 1976, the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe adopts a resolution that welcomes the process of democratisation in Spain.

Review of the work of the Foreign Affairs Committee and the debate for the preparation of the definitive report for approval by the Congress of Deputies of the Spanish Government’s accession to the Statute of the Council of Europe. This document also includes statements on the adoption of the European Social Charter and the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.

On 24 November 1977, in Strasbourg, Marcelino Oreja, Spanish Foreign Minister (left), signs Spain’s instrument of accession to the Council of Europe. On his right, Georg Kahn-Ackermann, Secretary-General of the organisation.

On 8 October 1979, in the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, King Juan Carlos I gives an address on European identity and human rights within the European institutions and within the new democracy in Spain.

On 26 January 1988, in Strasbourg, King Juan Carlos I officially launches the campaign entitled ‘North–South: one future, one common task’, in his capacity as President of the Honorary Committee for the campaign, while emphasising the values of solidarity and cooperation and the notion of interdependence between North and South.

On the invitation of the Spanish Government, the Second European Conference of Ministers responsible for Integration Policies for People with Disabilities in the Member States of the Council of Europe is held in Málaga on 7 and 8 May 2003.

On 12 March 2004, staff of the Council of Europe pay tribute to the victims of the terrorist attack committed the previous day in Madrid. The photo shows, from left to right: Estanislao de Grandes Pascual, Permanent Representative of Spain to the Council of Europe, Bruno Haller, Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly, and Álvaro Gil-Robles, Commissioner for Human Rights.

On 4 October 2005, Miguel Ángel Moratinos, Spanish Foreign Minister, submits to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe a plan for an Alliance of Civilisations, supported by the Spanish Government and the United Nations, to fight against terrorism. The photo shows Miguel Ángel Moratinos (on the left) and Terry Davis, Secretary General of the Council of Europe.

On 4 October 2005, the monument to human rights is inaugurated in Strasbourg. The monument was given to the Council of Europe by the region of Murcia, Spain.

On 19 October 2005, the Spanish newspaper El País publishes an interview with Álvaro Gil-Robles, Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, on the state of human rights in Europe as he reaches the end of his term of office.

On 27 November 2006, the conference to launch the Council of Europe’s ‘Campaign to Combat Violence against Women, including Domestic Violence’ is held. The photo shows the demonstration organised by the Foro de Madrid contra la violencia de género on Puerta del Sol Square on 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

On 27 November 2006, the opening conference of the Council of Europe’s ‘Campaign to Combat Violence against Women, including Domestic Violence’ is held in Madrid. The photo shows campaign posters displayed on lamp posts along one of the streets of the Spanish capital.

Meeting on 26 October 2007 in Lanzarote, Spain, the Ministers for Justice of the 47 participating Member States invite the Council of Europe to identify the means and measures to be implemented to promote access to justice for vulnerable groups, in particular migrants and asylum seekers and also children, including child perpetrators of crime. The photo shows (from left to right) Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, Chairman of the Parliamentary Assembly’s Committee on Migration, Refugees and Population, Maud de Boer-Buquicchio, Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe, and Mariano Fernández Bermejo, Spanish Minister for Justice.

On 29 April 2009, in Strasbourg, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, Spanish Prime Minister, replies to the members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and advocates the alliance of civilisations in the promotion of intercultural dialogue.