In this interview, Manuel Marín, State Secretary for Relations with the European Communities from 1982 to 1985, gives his views on the accession of Spain and other southern European states having also endured a period of dictatorship. He sees this accession as having an impact on foreign policy, providing a guarantee of institutional stability and respect of fundamental rights by means of economic and above all political operations. He also explains the reservations of other Member States with regard to Spanish accession, and the gradual success of the negotiations for Spain’s accession to the European Communities, an institution which he believes embodies a system of values.