Sweden opposes membership

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32560, 20 March 1971, Page 17

Sweden opposes membership

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) STOCKHOLM, March 19. Sweden announced yesterday that it did not want membership of the European Common Market, but was still anxious to establish links with the Community.

The decision to reject membership as incompatible with Swedish neutrality was announced by the Prime Minister (Mr Olof Palme) at a press conference after consultation with the Opposition leaders and the Foreign Relations Committee. Last November, . when talks with the Market began in Brussels, Sweden said that it was seeking links compatible with its neutrality and would leave the question of the form of attachment until later. Yesterday he cited official Market reports advocating foreign policy co-operation and a Community economic and monetary union as the chief reasons for his Government’s decision to back out.

Swedish neutrality would be endangered by the political goals behind foreign policy co-operation and by abandonment of the national right of decision-making in important fields, implicit in economic and monetary union, he said. The Prime Minister reiterated that Sweden wanted close, comprehensive, and

durable economic links with the six-nation community. To ensure free trade, Sweden must be prepared to accept concrete obligations, he said.