Basic HTML Version
news
in the wake of today's WORLD EVENTS
•
Common Market Growth Pains
"This ceremony marks an end and a beginning. An
end to divisions which have stricken Europe for centuries.
A beginning of anothel;' stage in the construction of a new
and greater united Europe. This is the task for our
generation."
With that remark, British Prime Minister Edward Heath
signed the Accession Treaty, linking bis nation to Europe's
Common Market. Representatives of Ireland, Denmark and
Norway followed with the pen at the historie January 22
cerernony in Brussels.
Wheo the Six become the. Ten next January 1, tbe
enlarged Common Market will
truly
become ao economic
giant. It will control 41% of world tcade - compared to
14% for the United States. With 257 million people, it will
have a greater population than either the U. S. or the Soviet
Union. It will be the world's largest steelmaker, car manu–
facturer and will control the biggest merchant navy. It will
possess twice the gold reserves of the U. S., three times the
British Premier Edward Heath signing the treaty l inking
Britain to the Common Market.
Wide World
number of farmers and twice the number of industrial
workers.
But what of its
poli
ti
cal
power? Potentially enormous,
because of the combined economic strength. But for now,
little is expected to develop on the cherished dream of poli·
tical unity.
At the same January 22 ceremony, France typified the
nationalism that has plagued European unity since the EEC
was formed 15 years ago - and which enlargement may
only make worse. The French insisted that
each
country of
the Six
sigo
for the Community - rather than the European
Commission which had done the negotiating.
Recently, one of the members of the Commission,
Altiero SpineJli, decried the nationalism that is destroying
the Community's decision-making processes.
He said a miracle was needed to solve the crisis, as the
meo iovolved lacked the political will and necessary freedom
from national interest to make cooperation possible.
The
St11ttgarter Zeittmg
observed that the EEC is "like
a robot being controlled by six separate brains, each urging
its limbs in different directions and only when by chance
they each make the same move at the
same time, does this colossus take a
step."
The question is, can the EEC do
any better with ten braios on the
robot?
What could be the spark to fuse
the EEC couotries into a true política!
unioo? Former French Minister of
Culture Andre Malraux once said:
"Europe would require a Common
non-European enemy to stimulate
unity."
In this context, trade frictions be–
tween the
U.
S. and Western Europe
acquire more serious overtones.
French Foreign Minister, Maurice
Schumann, warned on the day of tbe
signing of the treaties that
"the big
problem
facing the largest commer–
cial power in the world is the defini–
tion of its relations with the United
States.... It is significant that when