Spanish membership of the European Union revisited

For obvious historical and political reasons, until very recently much of the academic literature on Spain and the EC/EU had centred on issues such as the struggle for accession and the domestic consequences of membership. In recent years, however, the focus of analysis has begun to shift towards considerations of Spain as an actor within the EC/EU, and hence its contribution to the overall process of European integration.[1] In keeping with this trend, this paper will attempt to explore Spain’s evolving position and concerns within the EC/EU since accession in 1986, with a view to identifying continuities and innovations in both policy substance and style. More specifically, it will seek to identify both the domestic and external variables that explain the evolution of Spain’s European policy over time. In order to do so, it is probably useful to divide this period into three distinct phases: a) the period running from Spain’s accession in 1986 to the Maastricht European Council of 1991, during which its European policy was first defined; b) a period of crisis and (partial) redefinition of priorities, which began at Maastricht and ended with the departure of Felipe González in 1996 after thirteen years in office; and c) the years since 1996, under the premiership of José María Aznar