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WHERE
IS
~rnffi[D[p~
H
Our London regional editor re–
ports on
criti~a/ d~velopments
now emergtng tn Western
Europe. Events perceived and
foretold decades ago i n this
magazine!
by
Roderick C. Meredith
F
Ew
peop)e here in Europe and
elsew ere a round the globe
grasp the magnitude of re–
cent world events. For staggering
crises, now threatening totear We t–
ero Europe apart, are ultimately im–
pelling the nations of Wes tern
Ettrope toward complete and final
unification.
Time is of the essence.
The October war in the Mideast
jarred the European nations into re–
newed awareness of their own impo–
tence in times of orld crisis. Then,
the severe oil shortages, affecting
Europe vastly p10re than the United
States, rubbed salt into the fresh
wound.
In Copenhagen recently, the nine
member nations in the European
Economic. Community (EEC) pub–
licly recommitted themselves to eco–
nomic and political union
before
1980.
But how rapidly can the Euro–
pean nations genuinely unite so that
they can "speak with one voice"?
Cbancellor Willy Brandt of West
Gennany and President Pompidou
of France seem ready to push
toward unification - bowbeit each
on his own terms - within a very
8
few years. However, Britain and
Denmark do not feel the same ur–
gency at present.
The fact is that not merely leaaers
but events are going to determine
the pa of unification. It was the
depressed economic and political
situation within Europe, plus the
o~ous
Soviet threat, which pro–
.1ded the \lllOtivation for the mid–
century birth of the European Coty–
munity.
lt
~as
the event of Amen–
can disengagement from Vietnaf\1
and her subsequent consideration of
gradual withdrawal from Europe -
coupled witb ber startling move
toward détente with the People's
Republic of China and Russia -
which forced Europeans to take
more serious steps toward
unifi–
cation in recent months.
Now, it's the events of the Mid–
east war and its aftermath - the oil
crisis - and Europe's impotence in
the face of these events which will
ultimately force a European union.
In the near fu ture, who can say
what the specific scenario wiU be? A
new Soviet threa t to Europe vía
Germany or Berlin? Another out–
break of bostilities in the Middle
East, which would pinpoint and
dramatize a divided Europe's help–
lessness even more vividly?
One or more such events are
likely to occur within the next year.
A full-scale United States of Eu–
rope,
it
is
now felt,
is
urgently
needed to meet the growing threats
posed by the superpowers on the
one hand and such crises as that
exemplified by the current oil em–
bargo on the other. Yet Europeans
seem unready to submit national
sovereignties to a higher European
authority. Far greater events are yet
needed
to
impel Europe into final
union.
Who Will Be Members?
The European Identi ty Paper
approved in the Copenhagen Con–
ference by the heads of government
of the current EEC membership
stresses that the European Commu–
nity
must be "open" to other na–
tions of similar backgrounds and
interests.
The question is
which
other na–
tions?
The answer to tbat involves a very
real problem which was not specifi–
cally discussed. That problem in–
volves
significant
"grassroots"
disfavor with the Community by
major segments of the populations
within the member nations. Many
Danes, for example, want their gov–
e rnment to withdraw from the EEC.
There is also the recent opinion poli
in Britain which found that only
31
percent of the British public consid–
e Common Market membership a
g d thing. They blame rising prices
on
it.
Many also fear loss of sover–
eignty to "faceless Brussels bureau–
crats." In addition, Holland feels
betrayed by its "partners" in the
Common Market. Because of its
refusal to side with the Arabs, it is
bearing the brunt of the oil shortage
here in Europe. It has appealed - so
PLAIN TRUTH March 1974