40 Years On, Iberia’s EU Story Shapes a New Europe

A European Parliament anniversary video connects Spain and Portugal’s 1986 accession to current discussions on unity, defense, and Europe’s global role.

A new European Parliament video celebrating the 40th anniversary of Spain and Portugal joining the European Communities highlights a key idea: membership was both an economic advance and a political decision to secure democracy and integrate the Iberian Peninsula into a shared European future.

The video, featuring personal memories and reflections, coincides with EU institutions in early 2026 drawing connections from 1 January 1986—the date Spain and Portugal joined—to current challenges: security concerns at Europe’s borders, strategic competition, and a strained transatlantic relationship. The accession was formalized by the 1985 Treaty of Accession, signed on 12 June 1985 and effective from the start of 1986.

From “return to Europe” to everyday freedoms

For many in Spain and Portugal, EU membership became real through everyday changes: easier travel, more study opportunities, and access to a broader market. The European Commission’s official anniversary page argues that Iberian membership helped “modernize economies,” deepen trade connections, and widen Europe’s perspective—particularly towards Latin America, Africa, and the Mediterranean—while promoting democracy and social progress. (See: “40 years together: Spain and Portugal in the EU”.)

The anniversary is not about nostalgia. It aims to remind audiences that enlargement reshaped Europe’s political identity—linking post-authoritarian transitions to broader promises of rights and belonging. The Commission highlights data like over €250 billion invested in Spanish and Portuguese regions over time, along with significant support for research and fisheries projects. (Same source.)

A political anniversary, not just a cultural one

The European Parliament has marked the milestone as a strategic occasion.