 Greece had joined in 1981, followed by Spain and Portugal in 1986, taking the number of official languages from six to nine.The court building ("the rusty Palais" opened in 1972) was already too small, and some of the translators were working in prefabricated huts.Through quiet persistence with judges, staff, community institutions and national governments, the president ensured that the work got done, a new building was planned and the foundations were laid for a new court structure, involving the creation of a Court of First Instance.