Unveiling covectors : correlating migration and EC enlargement in the case of Spain

Abstract

The aim of this article lies in shedding light on the evolving priorities and perceptions of relevant Spanish players at different stages of the country 's engagement in the European integration process, especially with regard to changing migration patterns. These include the views of political exi les, economic migrants and key Spanish decision- makers with a responsibility in migration affairs from the country's three subsequent integration phases into the EU: when Spain was not a European Community (EC) member, when it was a candidate country for EC accession and since it became an EC member state. Furthermore, this contribution focuses on unveiling a deeply intertwined correlation between migration and EC enlargement, of which Spain constitutes one of the most significant and illustrative case studies. Indeed, from the re lation between an active political presence in exile and the Europeanisation of emigre political and intellectual Spanish communities, to the diffusion of democratic political culture by return migrants during the transition to democracy, this case is rife with insightful instances of linkages between the widening and mobility dimensions of the multifaceted European integration dynamics across the continent.