CONFIDENTIAL
Portugal in any way she could from her own experience of
accession to, and involvement with, the Community.
Portugal
could rely on Britain's support; we would drive a hard bargain in
the negotiations, particularly over access for textiles and to
fishing grounds, but in the last analysis Britain was prepared to
pay the price of Portuguese entry, which she considered was
manageable.
Spain was
14. Dr Sa Machado replied that he thought Portugal would not have
many problems; the accession process was going according to
Portuguese interests. Fortugal did not pose big problems to the
Community: the Community posed more to Portugal.
different and posed greater difficulties, which was why Portugal
resisted globalisation. The production of the Commission's
Opinion, its acceptance by the Council of Ministers and the
prospect of opening negotiations in October were important from
the internal Portuguese angle in order to show the people
that progress towards the EEC was taking place. On the
transitional period his government was flexible; in Portugal's
orn interests it ought not to be too short, since there was need
for considerable adjustment. The approach to Europe offered a
new national project to compensate for the loss of empire and to
give both material and psychological boosts, just as it had been
in Britain's case. Mr Judd said that it was not only the British
Government which supported enlargement but broad support had been
very evident in the recent debate in the House.
CONFIDENTIAL
/15.