A military-led uprising on 25 April 1974 overthrew Portugal’s Estado Novo dictatorship. The political change reopened Portugal’s path toward European democratic institutions and, later, European Community membership. It also set up major economic reforms needed to align with Western Europe.
On 24 July 1974, Greece’s military dictatorship fell and a democratic government returned. This democratic transition (often called the metapolitefsi) became a key condition for Greece’s renewed push to join the European Communities. Political stabilization and a European orientation became linked goals.
On 12 July 1975, Greece submitted its application to join the European Economic Community (EEC). The application framed membership as both an economic strategy and a political anchor for its new democracy. It moved Greece from association status toward full integration.
After dictator Francisco Franco died on 20 November 1975, Spain began a transition to democracy under King Juan Carlos I and successive governments. Building democratic institutions helped Spain qualify for deeper ties with European organizations and eventually membership in the European Communities. The shift also signaled that Southern Europe was changing politically as well as economically.
Portugal became a member of the Council of Europe on 22 September 1976. This step mattered because it strengthened Portugal’s democratic credentials and aligned it with European human-rights and rule-of-law standards. It also built momentum for applying to the European Communities.
On 28 March 1977, Portugal filed its formal application to join the European Communities. Leaders presented the bid as a national choice tied to the post-1974 democratic settlement. The application opened long negotiations over trade, agriculture, and how quickly Portugal could adapt to Community rules.
Spain submitted its application on 28 July 1977, signaling that its democratic transition was becoming institutionalized. Membership talks were expected to be difficult because Spain’s economy had large agricultural and industrial sectors that would affect Community policies. The application made “southern enlargement” a major Community project.
On 28 May 1979 in Athens, Greece signed the treaty for accession to the European Communities. The signing marked the end of negotiations and the start of the final ratification phase. It also signaled that the Communities were willing to expand to strengthen democracy in Southern Europe.
Greece’s accession took effect on 1 January 1981, making it the European Communities’ 10th member. Membership expanded the Community’s economic area and added a major Mediterranean economy. It also tested how Community policies and funding could help a newer democracy converge economically with older members.
On 12 June 1985, Spain and Portugal signed treaties to join the European Communities. The agreements set final terms for adopting Community rules, including sensitive areas like agriculture, fisheries, and industrial adjustment. Signing showed that southern enlargement was moving from negotiation to implementation.
On 23 July 1985, the European Communities adopted a regulation creating the Integrated Mediterranean Programmes (IMPs). The IMPs targeted southern regions—especially Greece—to strengthen economic and social structures ahead of Spain and Portugal joining. This reflected a broader shift: enlargement was paired with regional support to reduce uneven development inside the Community.
On 1 January 1986, Spain and Portugal became members of the European Communities, bringing membership to 12. The enlargement connected Southern Europe more tightly to the Community’s trade system and common policies, while also increasing the need for regional and agricultural adjustments. Politically, it helped lock in democratic transitions by tying them to shared European institutions.
In February 1986, member states signed the Single European Act (SEA) in Luxembourg and The Hague. The SEA aimed to speed decision-making and remove barriers to create a “single market,” meaning freer movement of goods, services, capital, and people across member states. It set an institutional direction that shaped how the newly enlarged Community would integrate economically.
On 1 July 1987, the Single European Act came into force. This provided new legal and procedural tools to complete the single market, including more use of qualified majority voting in certain areas. As a closing outcome for the 1974–1986 southern enlargement story, it shows how enlargement and deeper integration advanced together after Greece, Spain, and Portugal joined.
Southern Enlargement: Greece, Spain, Portugal (1974-1986)