HC Deb 22 March 1978 vol 946 cc1506-8
10. Mr. Arnold

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he remains satisfied with the progress being made towards the enlargement of the Community.

28. Mr. Dykes

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress is being made in the Council of Ministers on the Community's enlargement for the addition of the existing three applicant countries.

Mr. Judd

My right hon. Friend has made clear in the Council of Ministers the Government's view that, as well as maintaining the momentum in the accession negotiations with Greece, more rapid progress should be made in the Community's preparations for negotiations with Portugal and Spain.

Mr. Arnold

Will the Minister tell us whether the Commission still hopes to complete the substantial part of the Greek negotiations between now and the beginning of 1979? Is this a realistic target? Will he reconfirm that there will be no attempt to link the Greek negotiations with those for Spain and Portugal?

Mr. Judd

I assure the hon. Member that we are looking at each application on its merits. There are interrelating points between the applications. We hope to arrive at the final stages of the Greek negotiations by the end of this year.

Mr. Dykes

Since the negotiations inevitably are proving more complicated than was previously expected, for all three countries, and although we all wish to achieve enlargement of the EEC, does the Minister agree that it will be a great pity if significant internal developments in the Community are delayed? Undoubtedly the three acceding countries will be welcome, but the Community must look to its own internal developments even while the neogtiations are continuing with the three applicants.

Mr. Judd

The hon. Member has touched on an important point. The reorganisation of the common agricultural policy and of Mediterranean agriculture are issues that affect the present Community and should not be linked to the problems of the acceding members.

Mr. Heffer

Does the Minister agree that if these three countries are to come into the Community—and I am not opposed to their joining—we should make it absolutely clear that we will not pay, through the CAP, for structural changes in agriculture that are necessary in those countries? Does he agree that we pay far too much already for the CAP? All this must be clearly understood by the applicant Governments; indeed, this must be a condition of their joining.

Mr. Judd

As the Minister of Agriculture made very clear earlier this week, we are paying a disproportionate amount of the cost of the CAP and we are determined that it shall be revised. The accession of new members will be seen in the context of a much-improved agricultural policy.

Mrs. Winifred Ewing

Will the Minister undertake that enlargement of the EEC will not result in further encroachments into our overstretched fishing grounds?

Mr. Judd

We are determined to stand firm on issues of crucial importance to our fishing industry in our approach to the common fisheries policy. After such a policy is agreed, and by the time new members have acceded, we hope that the Community will have faced the British fishing problems and the fact that we are determined that the British fishing industry will not carry any heavier burdens.

Mr. Scott-Hopkins

Will the Minister assure us that negotiations for the entry of Portugal will not be entangled with those of Spain, as the Spanish application has not yet arrived on the table? Can he give us an approximate date when the negotiations will begin and when the Commission will submit a document? Will it be before the Summer Recess?

Mr. Judd

As I said earlier, we are looking at each application on its merits. On Portugal, the opinion published by the Commission is expected in the spring, and the opinion on Spain is not expected until the end of this year or early next year.