MEMBERSHIP OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES: A STATEMENT ON BEHALF OF HER MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT MADE BY THE PRIME MINISTER TO THE HOUSE OF COMMONS ON TUESDAY, 2nd MAY, 1967.
Tuesday, May 2, 1967
STATEMENT BY THE PRIME MINISTER
With permission, Mr. Speaker, I should like to make a Statement.
Her Majesty's Government have today decided to make an application under Article 237 of the Treaty of Rome for Membership of the European Economic Community and parallel applications for Membership of the European Coal and Steel Community and Euratom.
As the House will recall, I stated on the 10th of November last that my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and I would embark on "a series of discussions with each of the Heads of Government of the Six, for the purpose of establishing whether it appears likely that essential British and Commonwealth interests could be safeguarded if Britain were to accept the Treaty of Rome and join E.E.C.".
These discussions took place between January and March. Since then the Government have carried out an exhaustive examination of all the issues involved, resulting in the decision I have just announced.
The reports I have made to the House have made it clear that during the discussions in the Six capitals we were not engaged in negotiations. But my right hon. Friend and I, and indeed the House, have reason to be grateful to our hosts for the very frank exchanges which preceded today's decision.
These exchanges have enabled us to identify the major issues which we, for our part, shall wish to see settled in the negotiations.
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On the Treaty of Rome itself, as I informed the House on the 10th of November, we have throughout our discussions taken the view that, as I then said, " the Treaty of Rome is not in itself or necessarily an impediment. There are anxieties
but the Treaty need not be an obstacle if our problems can be dealt with satisfactorily, whether through adaptations of the arrangements made under the Treaty or in any other acceptable manner ". In short, as I said then, "the Government would be prepared to accept the Treaty of Rome, subject to the necessary adjust- ments consequent upon the accession of a new member and provided that we receive satisfaction on the points about which we see difficulty ".
Our discussions in the capitals of the Six have confirmed the validity of this approach in terms of the practical working of the Community and its institutions.
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