London, 13 March 1962
Confidential
I find that I must again raise with you the question of our participation in the Common Market negotiations. McEwen is at present in the United States. He, and I, and all of us are very exercised about this matter.
We have, within the last few days, received a message from the Commonwealth Relations Office, about the Deputies meeting set down for the 13–14 March at which the participation issue is to be further discussed. This message says that there does not seem to be any possibility of Britain being able to secure the agreement of the Community Governments to the kind of representation which the Australian Government has asked for and Britain has been trying to secure for us. It goes on to suggest that in the circumstances an arrangement by which the Australian representatives should have a right of access to the Chairmen of the various Working Parties and Committees would provide the most effective way ofenabling Australian views to be injected into the Brussels proceedings. The right of access might take the form of an understanding that when a Working Party or Committee was considering a particular matter of special interest to Australia it could request the Chairman, on its behalf, to obtain the views of Australian representatives.
I know that this suggestion was made in a helpful way, and we have given it our consideration. However, it clearly does not afford us the genuine opportunity which we wish to have of being able, where necessary, to speak directly through our own representatives on matters of concern to Australia. In fact, we are acutely disappointed to have recommended to us from London a means of presenting our case which falls so far short of the proposition which after consultation with us you submitted to the Six and which was itself a considerable modification of our original and still held concept of what we might reasonably seek.
We believe that what we have put forward concerning our participation is just and eminently reasonable. At the risk of wearying you, l recall the broad justification of our stand which we have previously provided.
We realise well enough that a decision on our request for participation does not lie only with the United Kingdom Government. We know the difficulties which have been raised by representatives of the Six and we can understand the desire to avoid complicating the negotiations. But these negotiations do raise genuine and decisive problems for us. The truth is that our economy, and our hopes and plans for future growth depend, in a vital way, on a range of products for which Britain is the predominant, or at present the only large export market. Particular communities and areas throughout the Australian Commonwealth look for their livelihood to this market, a market which has been developed by conscious policy over a very long period. It would ill accord with the spirit of a new Europe if the process of economic unity were to mean deep injury to a few countries such as Australia from the very nature of their historic patterns of trade.
It does not seem at all unreasonable to me that we should ask for, and expect to get, arrangements under which we could, directly, explain our position in relation to items of particular interest to us, and offer constructive comments. That is not something which, as we envisage it, need complicate the negotiations or create unacceptable precedents for you or the Six. Indeed, we have all along believed that our participation in this way could only be helpful to you and the Six.
I know, of course, that you personally accept this. Reactions which we have had from Ministers and officials of the Six encourage us still to hope that participation arrangements of the kind we have sought will, after further examination be found to be practicable and acceptable.
You will see that in pressing our claim we do not seek to impede in any way the Brussels negotiations. We have not been and we do not intend to be negative in the matter. We have every opportunity of talking to him [sic] about our participation. 1 would hope that meanwhile you will see your way clear to asking your representatives at the Meeting of Deputies to support our attitude on participation, and to endeavour to ensure that the matter is presented by the Deputies to the Ministers in a manner which would leave the way open for Britain to press the proposal for our participation which they advanced at the previous Ministerial meeting.
[UKNA: DO 159/57]