ABSTRACT
The advocacy of pro-European attitudes by various political opponents of the Franco regime was an important factor in Spain’s transition from dictatorship to democracy. In particular, the connection of democratisation and Europeanisation pervaded the discourse across the political spectrum during the transition process. The participation of anti-Francoist parties in the activities of the European Movement was furthermore a key factor on the country’s path towards membership in the European Communities. Whereas the role played by the European Movement as a whole in these processes has been studied quite extensively, little is known about the activities of the European Union of Federalists (Union Européenne de Fédéralistes, UEF). Like other pro-European entities, the UEF established contacts with members of Spanish political parties and sought to create an own Spanish section. However, its continuous efforts to formalise Spanish participation in the UEF in the 1970s and 1980s were eventually unsuccessful. This chapter analyses the formal and informal attempts of the UEF to establish a permanent section in Spain. It studies the impact and the instrumentalisation of Europeanism in Spain during the country’s transition to democracy and accession to the European Communities.
