On 20 July 1977, the French daily newspaper Le Figaro comments on Spain’s application for accession to the European Economic Community.

Spain’s application for accession to the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), dated 26 July 1977, submitted by Adolfo Suárez, Spanish Prime Minister, to Henri Simonet, President-in-Office of the Council of the European Communities.

Spain’s application for accession to the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC or Euratom), dated 26 July 1977, submitted by Adolfo Suárez, Spanish Prime Minister, to Henri Simonet, President-in-Office of the Council of the European Communities.

Spain’s application for accession to the European Economic Community (EEC), dated 26 July 1977, forwarded by Adolfo Suárez, Spanish Prime Minister, to Henri Simonet, President-in-Office of the Council of the European Communities.

On 28 July 1977, Marcelino Oreja, Spanish Foreign Minister, officially presents to Roy Jenkins, President of the European Commission, Spain's application for accession to the European Economic Community (EEC). From left to right, Mr Da Silva, Spanish Ambassador in Brussels, Roy Jenkins, President of the European Commission, Marcelino Oreja Aguirre and Wilhelm Haferkamp, European Commissioner with special responsibility for External Relations.

On 29 November 1978, despite predicted difficulties, the European Commission delivers a favourable opinion to the opening of the negotiations for the accession of Spain to the European Economic Community.

On 21 December 1978, the daily newspaper La Libre Belgique gives an account of the preparatory process for Spain's application for accession to the European Communities and describes the country's economic situation.

On 5 February 1979, the formal opening session of the negotiations for Spain’s accession to the European Communities is held at the Council, in Brussels. From left to right: Leopoldo Calvo Sotelo, Spanish Minister for relations with the European Communities, Jean François-Poncet, French Foreign Minister and President-in-Office of the Council, and Marcelino Oreja, Spanish Foreign Minister.

As negotiations are held for Spain’s accession to the European Communities, Roy Jenkins (on the left), President of the Commission of the European Communities, holds talks with Spanish Foreign Minister Marcelino Oreja.

Meeting between Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo (on the left), Spanish Minister for Relations with the European Communities, Roy Jenkins (second from the right), President of the Commission of the European Communities, and Adolfo Suárez, Spanish Prime Minister (on the right), in connection with the process for Spain’s accession to the EC.

The King of Spain, Juan Carlos I (on the left), meets Roy Jenkins (on the right), President of the Commission of the European Communities, during the negotiations for Spain’s accession to the European Communities.

On 5 February 1979, in Brussels, Jean François-Poncet, President-in-Office of the Council, opens the first ministerial session of the accession negotiations between the European Communities and Spain.

In March 1979, this article in the monthly publication 30 jours d’Europe comments on the opening of the negotiations for Spain’s accession to the European Communities. The article particularly refers to the views expressed by the President of the Commission, Roy Jenkins, the French Foreign Minister, Jean François-Poncet, and the Spanish Minister for Relations with the European Communities, Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo.

On 23 February 1981, in Madrid, as the vote of approval is held for the appointment of Leopoldo Calvo Sotelo as Prime Minister, a group of Guardia Civil officers under the command of Colonel Antonio Tejero bursts into Congress and takes the Members of Parliament hostage. The attempted military coup d’état, which fails as a result of the decisive address given by King Juan Carlos on national television in which he denounces the coup and urges the upholding of the law and the democratically elected government, is the final totalitarian uprising against the fledgling Spanish democracy. This photo shows Colonel Tejero holding a weapon. On his left is Landelino Lavilla, President of the Chamber.

‘Signals from the day before yesterday.’ On 30 May 1981, Fritz Behrendt, a Dutch cartoonist originally from Berlin, illustrates how Spain is continuing its transition to democracy despite a series of terrorist attacks and an attempted military coup in February 1981. The young Spanish democracy is resisting those who would like to see it return to the Franco era.

On 13 December 1982, José Pedro Pérez-Llorca y Rodrigo, Spanish Foreign Minister, gives his views on the progress of the negotiations for the accession of his country to the European Communities.

On 13 November 1984, the Spanish Business Confederation (CEOE) gives its views on the current negotiations for Spanish accession to the European Communities.

Group photo taken on 29 March 1985 in front of the Moncloa Palace, Madrid, at the closing session of the negotiations for Spain’s accession to the European Communities. Felipe González, Spanish Prime Minister, poses with members of the Spanish Delegation for the accession negotiations, the spokesmen of the political groups in the Congress of Deputies and Adolfo Suárez, his predecessor as Prime Minister.

In this interview, Hans-August Lücker, former Co-Chairman of the European Parliament/Spanish Cortes Joint Committee set up to make preparations for Spain's accession to the European Communities, recalls the reluctance of Italy and France to envisage opening the Communities to Spain.