Recoge: 1.Economy policy -- 2.Foreing relations -- 3.Social and cultural policy -- 4.Political and legal policies.

Seminar paper from the year 2011 in the subject Politics - Topic: European Union, grade: 1.0, University of Bath, language: English, abstract: ‘For the last thirty years, Spanish foreign policy has had a single (though double-barrelled) objective: first, integration in Europe; secondly, integration of Europe.’ (Torreblanca 2010, p.10). Not quite a decade after twelve European countries agreed on a Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), national foreign policies among the EU have ‘significantly been changed, if not transformed, by participation over time in foreign policy making at the European level’ (White 2001, p.6). This, indeed, says little about the nature and direction of the changes that occurred and whether these conduced to general foreign policy convergence among EU member states or perhaps even fostered greater divergence. In recent years, Europeanisation processes of national foreign policies have attracted more and more scholarly attention. While some case studies focus on the European impact on Central and Northern European states, for instance the Netherlands, Denmark and Ireland (Tonra 2001), others evaluate the distinctive features of the ‘Big Three’ – France, the United Kingdom and Germany – in EU foreign policy-making (Wong 2006; Gross 2009; Aggestam 2011 Forthcoming). In contrast, EU states in the Southern periphery have substantially been described as adaptive laggards that ‘displayed remarkably resilient and distinctive features of state tradition and political culture despite the pressures of the EU’ (Featherstone and Kazamias 2001, p.2). One of these countries, Spain, joined the European Union at a time when joint efforts to encourage a common foreign and security policy framework were still in the early stages of development. It will be argued below that Spain, at first assumed to be an enfant terrible within the European foreign policy framework, turned out to be an enfant sage with greater ambitions. From the viewpoint of social constructivism, the changing behaviour as well as the active role that Spain took very early in European foreign policy will be portrayed.

Focusing on issues related to EU integration, this study examines the formation of a common foreign policy in general and a common policy towards the Middle East in particular. It also investigates decision making in Turkish foreign policy and foreign policy towards the Middle East before and after EU candidature.

Focusing upon the 15 years during which Spain and Portugal have been members of the European Union, this collection of essays addresses issues related to the anniversary which took place in 2001.

This publication provides an up-to-date assessment of the political and economic issues and is valuable reading for anyone wishing to understand contemporary Spain and Portugal. Following decades of relative isolation under authoritarian regimes, the success of the processes of democratic transition in both countries paved the way for full membership in the European Community in 1986. Drawing on research by established scholars, Spain and Portugal in the European Union offers an original series of analyses of the development of Iberian politics, sociology and economics since the accession to the European Union.

Britain's membership fo the EC is rarely off the political agenda as a contentious issue, whether in domestic politics or within the EC itself. The controversy has become particularly acute within the last year, centred primarily on concerns over British sovereignty. The change of leadership may have led to a more conciliatory governmental approach, but has not silenced the voices of opposition to closer ties with Europe. Within this context, there is a need for an authoritative, balanced appraisal of the actual changes which have been brought about by Britain's membership of the European Community. Academic scholars in economics, law and political science compare the community's policies with the national goals of the British government and assess gains and losses in every area of policy.