In 2026, we celebrate the 40th anniversary of Portugal’s accession to the EEC. We also remember the four decades of Schengen Agreementwhich completely transformed the way we live in community space. Since the formalization of Portugal’s entry into the EEC by the hand of Prime Minister Mário Soares, on June 12, 1985, and its entry as a full member on the following January 1, until today, there have been many transformations in Portugal as a result of accession, which coincided with substantive advances in the European integration process.
Portugal’s accession to the EEC can be understood as a public policy, probably the most important since the Revolution of April 25, 1974. The country changed significantly after 1986, to the point that, years later, Medeiros Ferreira, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the First Constitutional Government, recalled, the country before and the country after joining the EEC, today the European Union (EU), could be periodized.
Since January 1, 1986, Portugal has received an accumulated amount of European funds exceeding 157 billion euros, excluding pre-accession financial support. The country has presided over the Council of the European Union four times (1992, 2000, 2007 and 2021) and, in the meantime, some Portuguese personalities have occupied prominent positions in European structures and institutions.
The path taken by Portugal in approaching and then belonging to the European club — which, in fact, began in the wake of the Estado Novo, with the Commercial Agreement between Portugal and the EEC of 1973 — is not immaculate, in the sense that the economic results, as a member of the Euro Zone, are not extraordinary, economic convergence with the other EU countries is slow and Portugal continues to struggle with inequalities and serious asymmetries.
However, a quick consultation of some fundamental indicators shows how since 1976 the change has been real on the economic, social, educational, cultural and even political levels, as it linked the country to strengthening democracy and seeking development, once the empire was lost. At the same time, membership and commitment to the EU appears unquestionable by parties in the so-called arc of governance.
If the European option presented itself in 1976 as the most suitable political alternative for a country that had moderated itself and aimed at progress, we must evaluate this legacy after several decades, recognizing some dark clouds on the horizon, given the European and international alliance. If the focus is Portugal, it is impossible to ignore the uncertainty that hangs in the air: the war in Ukraine and its postponed outcome sine thewhich reminds us that the EU must, once and for all, assert itself as a first-rate political actor, with the military corollary, a more solid and robust single market if it does not want to fall further behind the USA and China, the reduction of bureaucracy, in addition to the ultimate need to review the treaties and complete the ongoing enlargements.
We do not forget that whether at a domestic or European level, these reforms must be transparent and intelligible to European citizens. Eurosceptic sentiment is significant and anti-system parties are growing electorally for whom the EU is a labyrinth and an organization far from “true” national interests. We believe it is essential to look at the European project with Portugal in a spirit of cooperation. The long eight years of negotiations with a view to accession are proof of the continuity of the living spirit of the founding fathers, who had a disciple in Jacques Delors, and for whom in 1985 Europe would finally extend to Cabo da Roca, a beacon of hope.
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