The Press THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 1972. European summit meeting

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33027, 21 September 1972, Page 14

The Press THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 1972. European summit meeting

A summit meeting of the six European Economic Community nations and the four applicant States will be held, after all—on October 19 and 20. Nine of the nations were ready to hold the meeting: and then France demurred, to the bafflement and exasperation of its partners of the Six and of the applicants. Britain, Denmark, Norway, and Ireland. It is not clear what France hoped to achieve by withholding its consent to the meeting. No other country is more deeply concerned about such matters of common interest as the price of gold, the value of the United States dollar, the monetary union of the Community, the siting of the new Community secretariat, the independence of European foreign policy, and the nature and power of the political institutions of the Community. Indeed, internal considerations weigh more heavily with some of the other Governments just now. Mr Willy Brandt, Chancellor of West Germany, will face the electors far from confidently in November: in Britain the Prime Minister (Mr Heath) has to woo a public that is unenthusiastic and unions that are hostile towards Britain’s entrance to the Community; and in Italy a shaky coalition is under constant pressure from the Communists.

France is not exempt from internal pressures. The General Election is within months and the Gaullists face a Left recently united in the Popular Front. President Pompidou lacks General de Gaulle’s prestige, and in a recent referendum the French approved the enlargement of the E E C. Should he attempt to stop or delay Britain’s entry, President Pompidou might be accused of acting unconstitutionally—an accusation he would rather not face at the moment France still aspires to the position of leading nation in Western Europe; it cannot allow Itself to appear either isolationist or obstructive without seriously damaging its hopes of fulfilling such a destiny.

But the questions with which France is most concerned have profound implications for the new Europe. The monetary policy France favours does not lead to a full economic union of the Community; the institutions it favours do not lead to a full political union. Hence its insistence that the secretariat be sited in Paris, away from the Brussels “ Eurocrats ”. France is determined to avoid if possible—or to minimise—the consequences of economic and political union. When concurring in the decision to admit Britain, France probably believed that it was gaining a partner in its opposition to the surrender of sovereignty. It is not yet clear whether Mr Pompidou and his Government miscalculated: but It is highly likely that they now have some misgivings about their judgment.