ABSTRACT
This chapter concentrates on exploring the political context in which Europeanization processes took place in Spain. The approach to Europeanization of this study (combining vertical and horizontal Europeanization) places the focus on the dominant discourses, policies, strategies, and actors that crystallize around the relation between the EU and the domestic level. This is analyzed using the notion of Europeanization dispositifs, which are expected to influence political parties, constraining or facilitating specific discursive practices regarding Europe or the EU. The analysis is limited to the period of constraining dissensus; that is, it covers the 1990s Europeanization processes up until the euro crisis and the emergence of new challenging actors in Spain. The chapter shows that there was no conflictive Europeanization in Spain until the politicization of the euro crisis since 2010 and the opposition to European integration was weak until this period. Furthermore, the discursive opportunities for EU criticism were very limited in Spain.
