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than anyone the architect of
Greece's Market policy-said
that it was a "historical moment
that marks the end of a long
march and solemnly seals the
fusion of our destinies with thosc
of Europe ... an unswerving
belief in the necessity of a united
Europe and in the European des–
tiny of my country have at long
last ... found their justifica–
tion."
Greece's entry brings both
benefits and headaches to the
Community and its newest
member. Above all, it signals a
change in the orientation of the
EC. From a basically central and
northern European group it now
becomcs one with a southern,
Mediterranean posture. Thi s
new direction will be accen–
tuated with the expected linkup,
in 1983 or 1984, of Spain and
Portugal.
And if Turkcy becomes a full
member- a distant possibility–
the EC will extend to the very
doorstep of the Middle East.
Greece, in her own right, is an
important stepping stone to the
Middle East.
lt
is the hub for 200
American companies doing busi–
ness in the region. Greece also
has close ties with Cyprus, which
is nearly eighty percent Greek.
Standard-of-living Gap
The "southern cousins" knocking
on the Common Market door are
all considerably less developed
than the EC as a whole. Grcece's
gross national product is less than
half that of most other members
of the Community, though its
growth rate has been faster in
recent years. lts standard of living
is roughly the same as lreland,
the Community's previously
poorest statc, though it has a
wider disparity of wealth between
urban and rural areas.
The southcrn expansion of the
Common Market means that
Mediterranean-type agricultura!
products assume considerable
significance. "Until now," re–
ports
Europe,
a semiofficial pub–
lication of the EC (July-August,
1979, issue), "the Community
has been dominatcd by northern
European economic interests,
March 1981
especially those of cereals and
dairy farmers. In the future,
much more attention will be
paid to the interests of Mediter–
ranean wine, citrus and olive oil
producers."
Agriculture is of supreme–
almost inordinate-importance to
the Common Market. Agricul–
t ural price supports-which
Greece's 660,000 farmers will
now benefit from - consume
nearly three fourths of the EC's
annual budget.
Nearly all talk about the Com–
mon Market bureaucracy centers
around its controversia! Common
Agricultura! Policy (CAP),
which, critics say, is nothing but a
bottomless pit in which the EC
members pour more and more of
their revenues.
Th e German newspaper
Frankfurter Rundschau.
Jun e
14, 1980, commenting on the
gradual assimilation of the three
wine-and-oil producers (Greece,
Spain, Portugal), noted that
future wine surpluses alone are
likely to amount to between five
and ten million hectoliters ( 130
million to 260 million gallons) a
year.
Olive oil production is another
potential surplus problem. Nearly
fifty percent of all Greek farmers
are olive oil producers. And in
Spain, two million farmers are
engaged in olive oil production.
Thus, in addition to the Com–
mon Market's already embarrass–
ing butter, powdered milk, beef
and tomato "mountains" can be
GREECE BRINGS
both strengths and
weaknesses to the European Communi·
ty. The Greek economy is sti/1 domi·
nated by agriculture. More than three
mil/ion of Greece's nine mil/ion people
work and live on the farm, nearly half of
them engaged in production of olíve oí/.
Greek wine output (top photo), is
expected to add to the EC's wine sur·
plus. Competition from more advanced
Common Market countries wi/1 increase
the pace of farm mechanization (center
photo). lndustry is weakest link in
Greece's economy, dominated by sma/1
manufacturing units. Biggest plus for
Common Market is addition ofGreece's
worldwide shipping fleet (view of Ath·
en's harbar, second photo from bol·
tom). One third ot world shipping now
belongs to EC members.
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