Spain in the process of European integration : the historical evolution of the discourse and implementation of Spain’s mediating role between the European Union and Latin America

As Spain held its fourth Presidency of the Council of the European Union and just a few months from the 25th anniversary of the country's accession, the Centre Virtuel de la Connaissance sur l'Europe (CVCE)1 , a research center under the aegis of the Luxembourg Ministry of Research, launched its research and innovation project on 'Spain and the European integration process' (www.ena.lu) at the Spanish Diplomatic School in May 2010. The originality of the project lies both in the research process – based on the compilation and classification of documents on this theme coming from archives from all over Europe, on the development of online collaborative research platforms and on the production and dissemination of results by means of information and communication technologies. Its research results and materials are compiled in a corpus of documents which includes a range of sources as well as a series of historical accounts that represent an oral memory of Spain's participation in the process of European cooperation and integration. Certain other academic, educational and communication activities will also serve to add value to the research results. Last but not least, this ambitious project is being progressively enriched with scientific contributions coming from prestigious research centers, foundations and higher education institutions specialized in the field of European Integration Studies (the Complutense University of Madrid, the European Academy of Yuste Foundation, etc.). A specific section within this project, which remains under construction, focuses on the theme of the historical evolution of the discourse and implementation of Spain’s mediating role between the European Union and Latin America. The project as a whole, and also this part is of it is notably based on the analysis of the accounts provided by Spanish actors who hold or have held key positions and decision-making power, regarding such process of mediation. It includes Manuel Marín González, José María Gil-Robles y Gil-Delgado, Marcelino Oreja Aguirre, Jordi Pujol i Soley, Carlos María Bru Purón, etc. In addition, this oral history contribution is complemented by an in-depth examination of newlyreleased primary sources coming from mutually complementary yet disperse archives such as the Archives of the Council of the European Union and of the European Commission in Brussels, the Archives of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, the Historical Archives of the European Union in Florence, the European Parliament Information Office in Madrid, the European Commission Representation in Madrid, the General Archive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation (AGMAEC) in Madrid, the Documentation Centre and Library of the State Secretariat for European Union in Madrid, the Archives of the Congress of Deputies in Madrid and the General Archive of the Administration (AGA) in Alcalá de Henares, with a view to elucidate the actual correspondence between rhetoric and applied compromise in Spain’s mediating role between these two fundamental world regions