THE PROBLEM for petition from the United States. • BRITAIN is specialising as a supplier of energ. and raw materials to the Oil, natural gas, electricity supply and coal mining now account for over 10 per cent of the British far more than any other European state. • Britain also has efficient farming sector. The level of pro ductivity of British agriculture is third higher than France and more than double that of West Germany.
fairly similar interests i to the United States. It favours high world prices of oil. Its efficient farming sector Cal compete quite well without the Common Agricultural Policy. Because Britain is moving out of large sectors o manufacturing industry, it sceptical about things like the European airbus • FRANCE is more or less the opposite to Britain. Its economy is based manufacturing dustry and agriculture. It has no material or fuel supplies.
WalLs tough measures to reduce the world oil prices.
It has tried to boost industrial integration around the airbus project and the prothe EEC states in coordinating their policies is that each has different interests. In particular each is hit differently by comduction of the Arienne rocket. It wanted to build electronics industry by the nationalised French firm Thompson taking over the West German electronics giant Grundig. Sector French far less efficient than British farming. It can't survive American competition. France is consequently a defender of the subsidies in the EEC Common Agricultural Policy. Because it fears competition Spanish Portugese agriculture, France is hesitant on Spain Portugal joining the The directly contradicinterests over agriculture, oil prices and industrial policy make Britain and France traditional antagonists in the EEC.
• WEST GERMA. Y is the great industrial power of the EEC. Its manufacturing industry over twice as large as Britain's and is almost twice as productve. German has only small agricultural sector does not want to build it German industry plus French farming was the original formula on which the EEC was set up.
West Germany would like Spain and Portugal to come into the EEC as they wond provide g for her industrial goods supply agricultural products. For a long time West Germany was prepared to subsidise French farming as a way of maintaining the unity of the EEC.
But recently West German industry has been overnie Japan and, in fields such Led States. West Ger- the United States. many therefore wants to free resources to modernise its industry by cutting its subsidies to French farming via the Common Agricultural Policy.
West Germanv is also hostile to British policy on would benefit greatly from a lower price of world oi which Britain opposes. Britain also refuses to sup ply oil to the EEC at subsidised rates West Germany COn• siders Britain is benefitting pose tion as the sote EEC state is unsympathetic to British demands to make a lower contribution to the Common Market budget.
It is these differing interests of the EEC powers which led to the bitter ex. changes and chaos at the Athens summit.
• Haversement • November-December issue out now Price 75p In this issue:
Andrew Gamble, on the "special relationship between Britain and the States Ken Livingstone, on a strategy for the Labour left John Ross, on why the left must reject unity with European imperialism against America Chris Palmer, on Jude Woodward, on sectarianism towards women plus reviews Order from The Other BOOKSHOOS London Ni or 137 , 329 Upper St, Digbeth, Birmingham.
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