TNAG-1297-FCO40-1652-Visit-by-Sir-Geoffrey-Howe--Secretary-of-State-for-Foreign-a-1984 — Page 170

20. In 1967 the Labour Government, in setting out their reasons renewing the application for membership of the European Communities, spoke of "the long-term potential for Europe, and therefore for Britain, of the creation of a single market approaching 300 million people, with all the scope and incentive which this will provide for British industry, and of the enormous possibilities which an integrated strategy for technology on a truly continental scale can create ". They stressed that "the Government's purpose derives above all from our conviction that Europe is now faced with the opportunity of a great move forward in political unity and that we can—and indeed we must-play our full part in it . . .” The statement went on to say that the Government intended "to pursue our application for membership with all the vigour and determination at our command ".*

21. Both Governments were baulked in their objective, so that it was not possible for either to determine whether satisfactory conditions of entry could be obtained. On both occasions the Government of the day decided not to withdraw our application, but to leave it lying on the table. The third round of discussions flowed from the decisions of the Heads of Government of the Six at The Hague Conference in December 1969, which was convened on the initiative of the President of the French Republic. These decisions envisaged the completion and strengthening of the arrange- ments to establish a common market and the enlargement of the Community by admission of new members. This opened the way for the latest negotiations to take place in more promising circumstances and a more constructive atmosphere than those of 1961-63 and 1966–67. The Labour Government declared in May 1970 that they wanted to start negotiations as soon as possible, and the Head of the United Kingdom Delegation to the European Communities was able to say, when the formal invitation to open negotiations on 30 June, 1970 was conveyed to him on 11 June, that he was confident that the date proposed would be acceptable to Her Majesty's Government.

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22. When the present Government took office, they confirmed their predecessors' decision to open negotiations at a first Ministerial meeting on 30 June. They picked up the hand which their predecessors had prepared for the negotiating table, accepting as the basis of negotiations that they would be prepared to accept the Treaty of Rome subject to the necessary adjustments consequent upon the accession of a new member, and provided that we receive satisfaction on the points about which we see difficulty".* They accepted also that those points were the limited number of major issues defined in their predecessors' statement of 4 July, 1967.† In the negotiations on these major issues, initiated by one British Administration and carried on by another, the six Governments of the Community, recognising the historic importance of the outcome for both sides, have consistently sought with us that common ground on which both British and Community interests could be satisfied.

* Membership of the European Communities: Statement by the Prime Minister, the right hon. Harold Wilson, MP, to the House of Commons on 2 May 1967. (Cmnd. 3269: May 1967.)

†The United Kingdom and the European Communities: Statement made by The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, the right hon. George Brown, MP, at the Meeting of the Council of Western European Union at The Hague on 4 July 1967. (Cmnd. 3345: July 1967.)

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