HC Deb 19 May 1976 vol 911 cc1409-12
48. Mr. Gould

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has yet reached any conclusions on the Tindemans Report.

52. Mr. Spearing

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's reactions to the proposals contained in the Tindemans Report.

Mr. Crosland

The Government have not yet reached any final conclusions on the proposals in the Tindemans Report. Generally, however, we regard it as a constructive basis for discussion of the future of the Community, even though we can by no means accept everything in it. We shall of course wish to take full account of the views of the House in formulating our position.

Mr. Gould

Does my right hon. Friend agree that we and our Common Market partners would do better to concentrate our efforts on putting right those things which have been going wrong in the common agricultural policy and elsewhere rather than trying to impose a federal superstructure on what are increasingly shaky foundations?

Mr. Crosland

If I thought that that was being proposed, I should strongly agree with my hon. Friend. However, to be fair to Mr. Tindemans, to whom I have now talked twice in the past five days, he makes it clear at the beginning of his report—this is just one reason why it is a good report, if I may say so—that he sees no purpose in pursuing at this stage the argument between the federalists and the anti-federalists. Therefore, the whole premise of the report is that that argument, for the moment, is futile and that the only sensible thing to do is to build on the institutions that we have and to try to make them work better.

Mr. John Davies

The right hon. Gentleman will be aware that his predecessor, who is now Prime Minister, gave an undertaking some time ago that the House would have the opportunity of debating the Tindemans Report. Will he assure the House that before it does so the Government will table a document, be it a White Paper or whatever, which sets out their view on the Tindemans Report, so that we may debate not merely the report but the Government's positive response to it?

Mr. Crosland

That is a very interesting suggestion which I shall consider very seriously. Obviously, I cannot give a commitment this afternoon.

Mr. Spearing

My right hon. Friend has reminded the House that the report's foreword regards the federalist and non-federalist argument as sterile. Does he agree that the whole tone and aspirations of the Tindemans Report are distinctly federalist? Does he agree with what was said by the Prime Minister when he was Foreign Secretary in a speech at the Ubersee Club in Hamburg—namely, that we need to emphasise the truly international nature of the Community, not its supranational characteristic, which is causing all the problems at the moment?

Mr. Crosland

asked I cannot accept the first part of my hon. Friend's question, which, with respect to him, would not stand up to a careful reading of the report. However, I strongly agree with what he said in the second part. I think that he would find that Mr. Tindemans would go far in agreeing with him on that.

Mr. Tugendhat

Does the right hon. Gentleman recall that the Tindemans Report specifically mentions the desirability of a concerted or common European response to some of the problems of the Third World and some of the demands made by it, for instance, at UNCTAD IV? Does he agree that the total diversity and lack of unity in the response of the European Community countries at UNCTAD is a disadvantage to us all and emphasises the need for progress in this area?

Mr. Crosland

It is early to comment on what the final outcome of UNCTAD IV will be, though I agree that there have been some depressing signs. However, on the hon. Gentleman's major point, I made it clear to Mr. Tindemans that the United Kingdom Government strongly agreed with his proposition that one of the four priority areas for political cooperation—co-operation in foreign policy —should be North-South relations, or relations between the richer countries and the developing world.

Mr. Blaker

The right hon. Gentleman will recall that on the last occasion that he answered Questions in the House he expressed his support for the view that one of the most important things that the Commission could do would be to concert its foreign policy. That is one of the most important features of the Tindemans Report. Will he give us an assurance that pending his statement on the Government's definitive views on the report, he is personally paying attention to some of the important foreign policy problems that are faced by Europe, such as Yugoslavia and Spain, and encouraging the Community to take a concerted view towards these problems?

Mr. Crosland

Yes, I think that I can give that assurance in general terms—[Interruption.] I say "in general terms" for a perfectly practical reason that the hon. Gentleman will understand, he having been in the Foreign Office. At the moment my Department appears to allow me virtually no time in this country. The amount of time for thinking in serious depth about problems is somewhat limited, but subject to that, yes, I can give the hon. Gentleman the assurance that he seeks.