The congress “Concord Was Possible: The Democratic Transition and the Spain of Freedom”, organised by the CEU Institute of Democracy Studies and the CEU Institute of Historical Studies, concluded after two days devoted to revisiting the major milestones that reshaped the country’s political and social landscape. The sessions traced the process from the pre-Transition era and the negotiated break with the past to the drafting of the 1978 Constitution, while also addressing the foreign policy of the new democracy and the enduring relevance of concord as a guide for the present and the future.
Spain’s Foreign Policy During the Transition
Within this framework, Iñigo Méndez de Vigo, Member of the European Parliament from 1992 to 2011 and Secretary of State for the European Union from 2011 to 2015, and Javier Rupérez Rubio, Spain’s Ambassador to the United States from 2000 to 2004, examined the country’s foreign policy during this decisive period of our history.
In his address, Méndez de Vigo described the Europe-Democracy link as a “crucial factor” and stressed that Europe “is built by everyone, not by some against others.” He urged a return to “what we did well” at a “challenging moment” for the European Union (EU), in a world transformed by new geopolitical actors, and emphasised the need for constructive criticism. “The EU must realise that if it fails to act, others will act in its place. It needs both will and leadership to take decisive steps. If it does not wish to remain a passive spectator, it must clearly understand what is happening and determine the direction it must take,” he argued.
He further maintained that Spanish political parties have consistently favoured European integration, a stance unchanged since 1989. “There may be ‘anti-European’ parties, but none has openly declared itself as such,” he noted. In this commitment to Europe, Méndez de Vigo called for Spain to show solidarity and shared purpose with its partners, encouraging the recovery of the enthusiasm of the 1970s and 1980s, which “allowed us to play a leading role in Europe; one we cannot afford to lose .”
For his part, Javier Rupérez Rubio recalled that Spain, prior to the Transition, “was practically nowhere” in international politics. “What the Transition achieved was to place Spain where it ought to have been, recovering a historical trajectory in which we had scarcely been present,” he explained. This, he added, is a path to be followed , albeit under very different circumstances: “We are aware of the current international challenges, yet our belonging to the European and Western community remains essential for the preservation of our democracy and freedom.”
Rupérez also reflected on how bilateral relations with the United States since 1955, fostered varying sensitivities regarding Spain’s stance within the West. “Francoism recognised that this bilateral relationship was precarious. Whenever treaty renewals approached, it orchestrated public messages casting doubt on the clarity of the alliance, fuelling anti-American and anti-Western sentiment.” He was equally critical of the present U.S. government, noting that it is “no longer a partner on which we can rely as we once did, in any substantial sense.” Spain’s strategic priority, he underlined, must therefore be “the strengthening of Western Europe in matters of security and the economy.”
He went on to praise the roles of King Juan Carlos I and the first Prime Minister of the Transition, Adolfo Suárez, who, together with Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo, “clearly affirmed” that Spain must belong to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
The Enduring Spirit of the Transition
“Politics was experienced first-hand; it was something discussed at home.” Alfonso Osorio Iturmendi, President of the BDO Spain Foundation, and jurist Belén Becerril, Professor of EU Law at CEU San Pablo University, recalled their own close experience of the Transition during the round table “The Enduring Spirit of the Transition,” moderated by journalist Pilar Cernuda.
For Osorio, it was a “glorious” time, one he witnessed as a university student. “I remember tension between those who sought rupture and those who favoured continuity, but there was no hostility. I debated with people who disagreed with me; each defended their views with intensity, but without conflict.” In the same spirit, Becerril described the period as “a new, conciliatory Spain; an opening beyond our borders that fostered pluralism and a forward-looking vision towards Europe.” Europe, she added, now faces a decisive test: “It will either move forward, or it will fail.”
Asked about today’s political class, Becerril expressed concern, yet affirmed her conviction that “there is no better alternative than political parties, pluralism, and democracy.” She stressed the importance of publicly defending those who genuinely serve the public good. “Politicians are more than a government; there are many individuals in politics of great value, individuals committed to society.” Osorio agreed, recalling that the governments of the Transition showed “a will to serve, not to be served, acting with great generosity and seeking consensus.” “It was politics with a capital P, and that has long ceased to be the case,” he lamented. Becerril added that the drive for concord “originated from within the government itself.”
Transition, Spain and Concord
The congress forms part of the initiative “Transition, Spain and Concord”, through which CEU Universities are taking part in the commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of King Juan Carlos I’s proclamation. The programme began with the awarding of honorary doctorates to José Manuel Otero Novas (CEU Cardenal Herrera University), Miquel Roca (CEU Abat Oliba University), Marcelino Oreja and Her Majesty Queen Sofía (CEU San Pablo University). It has also featured the summer course “Spain and the Monarchy,” a travelling exhibition curated by professors Cristina Barreiro and Álvaro de Diego, drawing on the graphic archives of Ya and Diario 16; and the documentary “Memory of the Transition: Half a Century of Democracy”.