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PASTOR GENERAL'S REPORT, MARCH 30, 1984
PAGE 17
At a time when the Atlantic alliance, east-west relations, the
Middle East and several other issues are matters of major con
cern, the president of France, the federal chancellor of West
Germany, seven prime ministers and one taoiseach [ Prime Minister
of Ireland 1 are spending most of their European time disagreeing
about a bargaining gap [ on agricultural issues] .... If this is
Europe, even� firmly European newspaper like this one has to ask
why.
There is still a chance of reaching an agreement, so long as
neither Britain nor its partners hit out in hasty exasperation.
One sure way to cause failure would be a premature decision to
withhold Britain's budget payments to the EEC. In pique, late on
Tuesday evening, the French and Italian foreign ministers blocked
the b450m rebate to Britain for 1983 that was agreed upon last
year.
Mrs. Thatcher has more or less threatened to suspend
British payments unless the rebate is paid before the end of the
British financial year on March 31st...•
This can still be avoided. The EEC has to do better by Britain
than it offered in Brussels. But Mrs. Thatcher has her part to
plav. She is � British nationalist first, � European second.
She does not belong to the founder-generation of the communi
ty.... She is instinctively hostile to the Europe of the Ber
laymont corridors [ EEC headquarters in Brussels ] and an open
ended farm support programme. But she is European enough to be-
1ieve in the necessity for a strong Europe, caught between a
Russian adversary and an American ally whose support cannot be
counted on forever.
Instead of miring itself in...Britain's budget complaint and farm
spending ...[ Europe should] get down to its bigger problems.
These are easy to list:
lagging technology, internal market
barriers, old industries, high unemployment, the need for Europe
to do more for its own defence. The conventional wisdom has held
that the EEC must be the core of the attempt to solve these prob
lems. But it is entirely possible to imagine European co-opera
tion � is not based on the EEC, or at least not on the present
EEC
OI
10.
A looser community, minus farm policy, but with a free trade
area, plus co-operation on defence and technology? � community
minus Britain, Ireland and possibly Denmark? The present Europe
.!.!
not� only possible one.... The leaders o�rope have to go
on working together, with or without the present EEC.
Another summit is scheduled for June.
If Britain withholds its EEC
contributions, Europe's farmers will go unpaid starting about the end of
summer, if not earlier. Even with British cooperation the EEC is likely to
be bankrupt by September unless more funds are tapped (hence the push to in
crease the VAT contributions) .
Thus there could be real fireworks,
especially in France, with huge demonstrations and food dumpings. Mrs.
Thatcher, and Britain, would be blamed for it all. This would further sour
the attitudes of the British public toward the Common Market. In the 1975
referendum, there was 2-to-l support for British membership. Now polls
indicate a 3-to-l negative opinion.
--Gene H. Hogberg, News Bureau