During the formal opening of Portugal's accession negotiations, Klaus von Dohnanyi, Minister of State at the German Federal Ministry for Foreign Affairs and President in office of the Council, recalled the history of relations between the European Community and Portugal, the democratic ideals which inspire European integration and the context of the negotiations. Roy Jenkins, President of the CEC, then made reference to the creation of the European monetary system and the democratic importance of the next elections for the European Parliament. Carlos Gago, Portuguese Minister for Foreign Affairs, welcomed the official opening of the negotiations.