represents a pragmatic, attainable and actively beneficial step for the Twelve. And it represents an opportunity which our businessmen have been waiting for: to enjoy free and
fair competition throughout the Community. That's why
Mrs Thatcher in her speech in Bruges last September
emphasised our firm commitment to a Europe which is open to
enterprise, open to the outside world, free from excess
regulation, and firmly founded on free market principles
and the spirit of enterprise.
13.
The breaking down of barriers which 1992 represents is
perhaps the best current example of how pragmatism and a
commitment to freedom work in practice. It is
self-evidently sensible to create a Single Market of 320 million consumers, the largest in the world. Our guiding light is freedom. A freedom from which all Europe's
citizens will benefit. Our aim: a Europe, to use M Rocard's
words in his speech in London in February, capable of
releasing 'creative impluses'; a Europe truly 'in the service of people'. A Europe which combines a common
determination to move forward for the good of all, with
respect for the diversity of the heritage which gives Europe its strength.
14. As the European Council in Rhodes last December made
clear, the internal market will not close in on itself; 1992
will be a partner and not 'Fortress Europe'. This is vitally important for the Community which accounts for 20%
of world trade. The dynamism we expect the 1992 process to
generate would be stifled if we took a protectionist
approach towards our trading partners. But I believe that
the Community should use its internal liberalisation to
press for more open markets generally in the current GATT negotiations. The Uruguay Round represents a major
opportunity to strengthen the multilateral trading system
and extend it to new areas. The UK is doing all it can
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