The economy of the Region of Murcia has increased eightfold since Spain joined the European Union
The GDP of the Region of Murcia has risen from €4.834 billion —804.346 billion pesetas— in 1986, the year Spain joined the European Union, to €40.386 billion in 2023. This means that the region’s economy has grown more than eightfold since accession to the EU.
Over these four decades, the regional population has also increased from 1,006,788 inhabitants to 1,568,492, representing a rise of 55.79%.
These figures were released this Thursday by the European Parliament and the European Commission in Spain, within the framework of the initiative “Since 1986”, which aims to inform about the path taken within the European Union and to highlight the important role Spain plays in the construction of Europe.
In context, this initiative emphasizes that since 1986 Spain “has grown with more rights, more opportunities and a greater presence in the world,” and that Europe today is also “stronger thanks to Spain’s contribution.”
During these four decades, there has also been significant growth in the number of people living in the Region who come from another EU country. While in 1998 there were 2,589 people in the region with the nationality of another EU country, by 2022 this number had risen to 28,859 —1.88% of the total population of Murcia— representing an increase of 1,014%.
In tourism, the data show that between January and April 2025 the Region received a total of 321,823 foreign visitors, of whom 53,663 came from France; 22,331 from Germany; 19,962 from Belgium; 19,433 from the Nordic countries; and 15,292 from the Netherlands.
“Since 1986” also aims to demonstrate that Europe is much closer to citizens than is sometimes imagined. For this reason, on this 40th anniversary they wanted to place “special emphasis” on the autonomous communities and cities, offering specific fact sheets with data, indicators and real examples of how the EU has driven their development over these years.
Each regional fact sheet shows how its economy has evolved since 1986; how tourism has grown in each territory; the social benefits contributed by the European Union; what the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) represents for farmers and livestock breeders; which European projects have transformed infrastructure, mobility, innovation, the environment or public services; and which EU-supported projects have been carried out in each region.
Among the economic contributions resulting from accession to the common area are the Sustainable Tourism Destination Plans in Caravaca de la Cruz, Cartagena, Jumilla, Lorca, Mazarrón and Yecla, with funding of €21.5 million; and the Digital Transformation Plan for Education (2021–2025), with €36.5 million.
Also supported by EU contributions are the Intermodal Station project in the El Carmen neighborhood of Murcia (€13.9 million); the restoration of landmark buildings such as the Old Prison, the Almudí Palace, the Ramón Gaya Museum, and the Verónicas and Saavedra Fajardo markets (€12 million).
The project “ADELANTE+: inclusion and equality” (€9.4 million); emergency and recovery operations related to the flooding caused by the DANA storm in September 2019 (€5.6 million); and the UCAM HITECH high-technology incubator (€864,353) are other initiatives that have received EU funding.
A historic decision
At the presentation of the initiative, the director of the European Parliament Office in Spain, María Andrés, explained that the materials presented aim to provide the media with “a clear, coherent framework based on objective data” to analyze these 40 years. She recalled that accession was “a historic decision, deeply political and emotional,” driven by “the aspiration to be part of a project of democracy, the rule of law, prosperity and peace.”
Andrés noted that this anniversary comes at “an extremely complex geopolitical moment,” marked by “conflicts, trade tensions and organized disinformation,” which makes it “more necessary than ever” to explain the European project rigorously.
In this context, she argued that Spain remains “one of the most pro-European countries in the European Union,” with “broad and clear” support, and she appealed to the role of the media in helping citizens “not only know they are Europeans, but feel European,” thereby strengthening “a project that has much to celebrate, but also much to defend.”
For his part, the director of the Representation of the European Commission in Spain, Daniel Calleja, stressed that Spain’s 40 years of membership in the European Union “are a success story,” as they represent “an unprecedented transformation in our country since the second half of the 20th century.”
In this regard, he highlighted that accession meant “the consolidation of democracy, the modernization of infrastructure, the opening of the economy to the single market and the strengthening of economic and social cohesion,” with a direct impact on citizens’ lives thanks to “free movement, freedom of establishment, the Erasmus program, and support for farmers and regional development.”
Furthermore, Calleja insisted that Spain “has not only benefited from the European Union, but has also helped to transform it,” acting as “a loyal, committed and deeply pro-European partner.”