Adherence to the EEC. A Treaty that radically changed Portugal

On June 11, 1985, it was not only the treaty of adhesion to the European Economic Community (EEC) that the new members, Portugal and Spain signed. From the set of documentation set in the Jeronimos Monastery also part of the European Coal and Steel Community (CECA) and the European Atomic Energy Community (CEEA) community. The three treaties tell the history of the community that began to form in Europe a few years after the end of World War II.

In 1951, Robert Schuman, French Minister of Foreign Affairs, proposed that Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg put their heavy industries – coal and steel – under a common management system. Thus, contrary to what happened in the past, none of these countries could, by itself, make weapons of war to attack others.

This was the first step for a community of European countries that has still allowed the development of common policies capable of creating a peace and economic development environment in the European’s, unheard of in the continent’s history.

When in 1985, Portugal and Spain joined the EEC, the community was already composed of a set of 10 states since Greece, Denmark, Britain and Ireland had joined, however, to the group of six founding countries.

Consolidation of democracies

Away from European partners, the two countries of the Iberian Peninsula, Portugal and Spain, lived until the mid -seventy years in dictatorship, which is why they were removed from the hypothesis of adhering to the community of democratic states that in Europe was forming, dictating a time of economic growth to unique member countries in history.

Shortly after the troubled times of Preci, Mario Soares, leader of the Socialist Party, the most voted party in the first democratic elections in 1975, put the country as a great purpose to the country. The Portuguese government’s request for entry was presented in 1978. For seven years, the young Portuguese democracy had to meet the minimum requirements to be accepted, along with Spain.

One of the main requirements contained in the adhesion treaty signed by Mário Soares and Carlos da Mota Pinto in the Jeronimos Monastery gave, 10 years after April 25, the guarantee to the country that that signature made the democratic process irreversible, “considering that the principles of pluralistic democracy and respect for man’s rights are part of the common heritage of the peoples gathered in European communities and constitute elements essential member quality of these communities ”.

The treaty of adhesion also established a profound change in the country: from then on, in numerous matters, European legislation began to overlap with national legislation. “The legal order established by the treaties that institute communities is essentially characterized by the direct applicability of certain of their provisions and certain acts adopted by the institutions of the communities, the community law on the contrary national provisions and the existence of procedures that allow the uniform interpretation of community law; To ensure the effectiveness and unit of community law ”, it reads the favorable opinion of the Commission of European Communities relating to the requests for adhesion of Portugal and Spain.

Another area that had to obey European rules that completely transformed was agriculture. The country used to subsistence agriculture and little facing the industry and a competitive market had to change radically. Common Agricultural Policy (PAC) has changed the national landscape. Who from the adhesion to the EEC if you wanted to keep in the sector was forced to operate deep transformations. European European funds have helped, but at the same time encouraged many to abandon agriculture that can hardly compete with new European partners.

Politically, the signature of the adhesion treaty ended a long history of isolation and the maxim that Salazar had imposed on the country: « proudly alone. » After joining Portugal opened the doors to honor the commitment to free circulation of people, services and capital contained in the treaty.

From 1985, many millions of shields entered Portugal at the time and euros later. In negotiations made with Spain and Portugal, the other EEC members recognized that the two countries would have to make a long way to recover from their great delay in their European partners. The so -called cohesion funds, provided for in the adhesion treaty, aimed to finance the modernization and adaptation of the Iberian Peninsula countries to the new European paradigm.

In addition to changes in various sectors of activity, Portugal has soon known a deep transformation, very visible in infrastructure. Roads, schools, hospitals, and other shape works saw the light of the day paid, largely with the backgrounds that arrived from Brussels. Even the formation of the Portuguese benefited from European aid, with many vocational training courses administered to thousands of Portuguese. Quickly modernize the country became the watchword and the effects of this accelerated modernization were well noted and well on society.

From the day of the signing of the Treaty, Portugal and Spain gained the right to participate, with their deputies, in the work of the European Parliament. At first, occurring in the middle of the European legislature, national representatives in Brussels were designated by the Assembly of the Republic. Two years later, in 1987, the first European elections were held in Portugal to elect 24 European deputies.