Recollections of Joining the EU. Iberian and Nordic Experiences

What happened with the EU optimism? Are Europeans in the North and South as content as when entering the EU in the 1980s and 1990s? What were the feelings then?

In the last ten years, it is commonplace to read and hear that the European project is in crisis. The perceived lack of intra-European solidarity, the growing divide between the North and the South of the continent, the emergence of Eurosceptic populism and Brexit have fuelled this belief. This contrasts sharply with the previous hegemonic narrative of successful European integration. 

This witness seminar brings together key political actors involved in the Iberian and Nordic integrations in Europe (1986 and 1995). They will share their memories and shed light on these historical processes, contributing to a more sophisticated assessment of the European integration in the South and in the North.

Witness Panel:

Esko Aho (Finland), Prime Minister of Finland 1991-1995

Juan Antonio Yáñez-Barnuevo (Spain), Diplomatic Advisor to President Felipe González 1982-1991

Mats Hellström (Sweden), Minister for Foreign Trade 1983–86 and 1994-96, Minister for Agriculture 1986–1991