“E.E.C. Soon Too Fast For Britain To Board”

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30092, 28 March 1963, Page 15

“E.E.C. Soon Too Fast For Britain To Board”

(Special Correspondent N.Z.P.A.) LONDON’, March 27. A new blow to Britain’s hopes of entering the Common Market is being prepared by President de Gaulle, says a “Daily Telegraph” correspondent.

“He proposes that during the period when Britain is approaching, and possibly recovering from the General Election, the six Common Market countries should move rapidly ahead without her on political and economic integration.

Policies resulting from this further tightening of the European system could make it impossible for any British Government to join or even to be associated with the Six in the foreseeable future.

, The moving train, which the system of the Six has been called, would be going too fast for the British to jump aboard,. Under these proposals, President de Gaulle. Dr. Adenauer (or whoever follows him) and other heads of Government would sit in “political council” to decide on a “joint” [foreign policy.

“In theory, Britain’s friends in the Six, the Benelux countries and Italy, would have their full say. But, in practice, by making the right economic concessions to powerful interests in each of the smaller countries and by the superiority of their civil servants and strategists. President de Gaulle and the German Chancellor could, to a great extent, have a free hand In the foreign policy, notably towards Russia. On the economic side. President de Gaulle is insisting that a common agricultural market should be developed in such a way that binding

decisions can be taken which would make it more difficult for British and Commonwealth farmers if Britain eventually joined. Bargaining is already going on in Brussels ahead of the so-called “Kennedy round” ot tariff talks On the one hand. President de Gaulle is in direct opposition to President Kennedy’s request for a fair deal for American farm products exported to Europe and has indicated that, if necessary, he is prepared to withdraw from the “round ” On the other hand. France's five partners stand to benefit considerably from the results of the talks. So they are now considering a package deal with President de Gaulle. In return for his joining in the talks on a reasonable basis, they would give French farm products better terms in the Common Market A comi mon agricultural market would in effect be run to suit the French.

One result would be to reduce outlets in Europe for

Commonwealth produce. This is what the British Government means when it says President de Gaulle intends to make the market “inward looking.**