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opportunities available in an enlarged
Community.
4. My discussions with the Hong Kong
on these matters must, on this
Government
issue, be naturally confidential but I would
like to say something now about why Britain
sees her future in an enlarged Community.
5. In the first place Britain, like all
West European nations, is conscious of the
fact that she now lives in a world of super-
powers with whom she cannot compete politically
or economically. Unless Britain and her
continental neighbours pool their resources and
leam to speak with one voice they will not be
able to defend their interests or to make a
distinctive contribution to the world, in the
age of the super powers.
6.
But the European Communities have already
shown that by acting together they can, to
some extent, defend the interests of member
countries. They have also shown that by
moving internal barriers of all kinds they can
generate opportunities for greatly increased
prosperity. Britain would have a great deal
to gain by this and the Communities would have
a great deal to gain from Britain.
7. Britain has always been dependent for her
security on the situation in contenental Europe
but Britain and the Continent are today much
closer in trading terms. Like you, the
pattern of our trade has changed radically.
We now export twice as much to Western Europe
as to the Commonwealth. And an enlarged
Community would, in one way or another, cover
almost all of Western Europe. Our exports to