Conference On E.E.C. Crisis

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30960, 17 January 1966, Page 11

Conference On E.E.C. Crisis

GV.Z P.A. Reuter—Copyright) BRUSSELS, January 16. The Foreign Ministers of France and her five European Common Market partners are due to meet in Luxembourg tomorrow to try to solve the community s six-month-old crisis.

France has boycotted the Common Market’s activities since the beginning of July last year, but last month accepted an invitation by her partners to a Foreign Ministers’ meeting whose outcome will be crucial for the community’s future. Luxembourg’s Premier ana Foreign Minister, Mr Pierre Werner, will preside over the meeting, which will be devoted entirely to the basic political problems dividing France from the “five.” In deference to French wishes, representatives of the community’s executive commission will not be allowed to attend. But the “five” have made it clear that this is an exceptional procedure which should not serve as a precedent for future meetings. Observers agree that the failure of the “six” to agree on new farm financing measures last year was only a small part o' the reason 'or France’s walkout.

The crux of the problem was that thes measures, proposed by the market’s commission, were linked to other proposals giving greater supranational powers to th« commission and the European Parliament in Strasbourg, especially over the community’s finances.

President de Gaulle has repeatedly shown strong opposition to any supranational development in Europe. The main aim of the Luxembourg meeting is to give France an opportunity to inform her partners of the changes she v. ould like to see in the working of the community's institutions especially as regards the powers of the E.E.C. commission of which the French have been highly critical. “The five," who have publicly declared their fidelity to the Rome Treaty, will strongly oppose France’s efforts to water down the effect of majority voting and the commission's powers.