Quiz #3: When did Spain join…?

Like most countries Spain is a member of various international organizations for the purposes of cooperation, security, trade, health and more. Today FindYourSpain has put together a short quiz including five of the most well-known of these organizations to test your knowledge of which year Spain became a member. Good luck!

(Whether your answers are correct or wrong will be revealed after you hit the “Finish”-button. If you scroll down you will find detailed answers below the quiz and map.)

---

When did Spain join the United Nations?

Answers:

1946: Wrong

Spain was not admitted into the United Nations in 1946 due to their sympathy for the Axis powers during the Second World War. A study conducted by the UN Security Council concluded that the Franco regime was fascist, had in some instances supported the Axis powers during the war and therefore refused to admit Spain as a member. The circumstances surrounding the UN’s refusal to admit Spain gave rise to the term “the Spanish Question”.

1951: Wrong

At this time, communism was considered a greater threat than fascism and though Spain gained sympathy for being an anti-communist country, the UN was still not ready to let them in. However, a resolution (386) paved the way for Spain’s future membership and work started to incorporate the country into various UN organizations.

1955: Correct

The resolution and early work to become part of various UN organizations culminated in Spain’s membership in 1955 following a nearly 10-year long process.

You can read more about Spain membership in the UN here: https://www.exteriores.gob.es/en/PoliticaExterior/Paginas/EspanaNacionesUnidas.aspx and Spain’s process of becoming a member of the United Nations here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Question_(United_Nations).

---

When did Spain join the European Union?

Answers:

1951: Wrong

A forerunner to today’s union was established as the European Coal and Steel Community by six countries in 1951 but Spain was not a member at this time.

1958: Wrong

Based on treaties agreed upon and signed in 1957 the European Coal and Steel Community developed, changed its name and became the European Economic Community (EEC) 1 January 1958. But, Francoist Spain was still not a member.

1986: Correct

Although technically speaking the EU wasn’t established until after signing the Maastricht Treaty of 1993, member countries of the European Coal and Steel Community and later the European Economic Community are still considered to have been members of the European Union. And, Spain has been a member since 1 January 1986.

You can read more about the history of the European Union here: https://european-union.europa.eu/principles-countries-history/country-profiles/spain_en.

When did Spain join the Euro zone?

Answers:

1999: Correct

Spain joined the Euro zone on 1 January 1999, however notes and coins were not introduced until three years later. During these years both the Peseta and the Euro were legal tenders in Spain.

2002: Wrong

Spain was already a member of the Euro zone at this time, but this was the year when the Euro banknotes and coins were introduced into the Spanish economy. And while the Pesetas’ time as an official currency came to an end on 28 February 2002 it could still be exchanged into Euros.

2021: Wrong

Spain had already been a member for a long time and both banknotes and coins had been introduced almost 20 years ago. However, 30 June 2021 was the last day one was able to exchange the “old” Pesetas into Euros or they would be rendered worthless.

You can read more about Spain and the Euro zone here: https://ec.europa.eu/info/business-economy-euro/euro-area/euro/eu-countries-and-euro/spain-and-euro_en.

When did Spain join the Schengen area?

The Schengen area has 26 European member countries that have officially abolished all passport and other border control (until the pandemic hit of course) when it comes to international travel. It is an area for “free and unrestricted movement of people”. 22 of these countries are EU members and four are EFTA-members.

Answers:

1991: Wrong

Although Spain, alongside Portugal, signed the agreement on 25 June 1991 and both of them started their implementation process, this was not enough to be viewed as members of the area.

1995: Correct

Yes, Spain became a Schengen area member in 1995. The implementation process was fulfilled and from 26 March 1995 Spain was considered to be part of the Schengen area.

2007: Wrong

While several countries including the Baltic States joined at this time, Spain had actually joined the Schengen area earlier.

You can read more about the Schengen area here: https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/schengen-visa-countries-list/.

When did Spain join The European Space Agency (ESA)?

ESA was partly founded by merging two earlier organizations, namely the European Launcher Development Organisation (ELDO) and the European Space Research Organisation (ESRO).

Answers:

1975: Wrong

Dedicated to the exploration of space, the ESA was established in 1975 and although Spain was one of the founding members, they had still not gone through the ratification process and were thus not a member.

1979: Correct

Spain joined the organization on 7 February 1979 despite being one of the 10 founding members four years earlier. All founding members had to go through a ratification process which in the case of Spain was formally decided in 1979.

2003: Wrong

Spain was already a member at this time, but 2003 did see the first fully European mission to any planet, with the Mars Express orbiter and its lander, Beagle 2, launched this year.

You can read more about the history of ESA here: https://www.esa.int/About_Us/ESA_history/History_of_Europe_in_space.

---

We at Find Your Spain are writing and publishing our own articles along with providing links to content from other sources that we hope you will find useful, interesting and informative. Got a tip for us? Drop us a line, comment on a post.

Like this article? Please share it with your friends and family.