The European issue in the UCD governments: economic and political negotiation with Italy

Abstract

For a long time, Europe was a synonym of democracy and modernity in Spain, especially due to some political vetoes that the country had faced during Franco dictatorship. Therefore one of the main objectives of the first governments of democracy, which was led by the Union of the Democratic Center, was to initiate as soon as possible the integration process in the main international organizations and particularly the EEC. After creating the first negotiating team a strategy was designed to confront accession with guarantees. In this process contacts with the Common Market member countries was a key factor since the form and final calendar of Spain’s entry depended on them. Italy was one of the priority targets. On the one hand, close ties linked these two nations, but on the other hand, eventual agricultural competition could lead to conflict, precisely at a time when the CAP brought together most of the community budget and when the internal divisions within the Community were evident.Therefore, the three centrist negotiating teams (1978-1982) stablished a wide network of contacts and a diplomatic campaign that pursued the objective of obtaining Italian support for the Spanish aims