Enlargement of the Communities to take in Spain and Portugal (January 1, 1986)

• The origins of the European idea (Before 1918)
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• Faced with revolt from MEPs, the Santer Commission prefers to resign (March 16, 1999)
• Signing of the Treaty of Nice (February 26, 2001)
• The euro in the pockets of European consumers (January 1, 2002)
• Enlargement of the European Union to take in ten new members (May 1, 2004)
• Signing of the Treaty Establishing a Constitution for Europe (October 29, 2004)
• ITER and Galileo: Europe at the forefront of science (2005)
• Bulgaria and Romania join the 25 (January 1, 2007)
• 50th anniversary of the Treaties of Rome (March 25, 2007)
• Signing of the Treaty of Lisbon (2007)

January 1, 1986

Enlargement of the Communities to take in Spain and Portugal

Their dictatorial regimes had kept Spain and Portugal apart from the process of European integration. After the death of Franco and the collapse of the regime instituted by Salazar, these two countries now on the road to democracy were able to rejoin the European family. After lengthy negotiations, Spain and Portugal acceded to the European Communities on 1 January 1986, bringing the number of members to twelve.

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