January/February 1984 MEPs at Strasbourg: 'a time-bomb on a short fuse' EUROPE84

In this issue ...

Community funds for the Western Isles: report by Roy Stemman 3 Published by the Commission of the European Communities, 8 Storey's Gate, ESPRIT-the spirit for the electronics race 6 London SWlP 3AT. Tel: 01-222 8122 Strasbourg Notebook: Adam Fergusson MEP 7 Editor-in-Chief: George Scott Associate Editor: Denis Thomas Britain is out of step on workers' rights. By Peggy Crane 9 Design: Lawrence Edwards Printed by Edwin Snell, What can the Community do for the arts? By Lillian Purdom 10 Yeovil, Somerset

Bringing up baby- with time offfor father 11 Europe 84 does not necessarily reflect, in all particulars, the opinions of the Community Against the rules-but who blows the whistle? By Alan Osbourn 12 institutions. Unsigned material may be quoted or reprinted without payment, Morag Alexander reports on a European local government conferenct: 13 subject to suitable acknowledgement. Belfast Office: Windsor House, The Common Fisheries Policy: a new book by Michael Leigh 9/1 S Bedford Street, Belfast BT2 7EG 13 Tel. (0232) 240708 CardiffOffice: 4 Cathedral Road, Are we doing enough to help the children? By lan Murray 15 Cardiff CFI 9SG Tel. (0222) 371631 More grants for higher education schemes IS Edinburgh Office: 7 Alva Street, Edinburgh EH2 4PH How the Agricultural Fund is helping to drain the Fens. By Jack Waterman 17 Tel. (031}225 2058 Assoeiated editions: Community reports 18 Eurqpe, 2100 M St.reet, NW, Suite 707, Washington DC 20037, USA Tel. 202 8629500 Derwent May reviews the new-style Carmen 20 Europe, 350 Sparks Street, Suite 1110, Ouawa, Ontario, Canada KIR 7S8. Questions in the House 22 Tel. (613) 238-6464 Community Reporc, 39 Molesworth Street, Dublin 2, Ireland What is freedom of the skies? asks Nicholas Bethell, MEP 22 Tel. 712244 JO]ourfd'Europe, 61 rue des Belles Commissioner Christopher Tugendhat looks ahead 23 Feuilles, 75782 ParisCedex 16, France. Tel. SOl 58 85 Letters 23 Comunita Eurqpee, Via Poli 29, 00187 Rome, ltaly. Tel. 67897 22 What's in the papers 24 EF-avisenHojbrohus, 0stergade61, Post Box 144, 1004Copenhagen K, Denmark. Tel 144140114 55 32 EUROFORUM is inset after page 12 EG Magazin, Zitelmannstrasse 22, 5300 Boon, W. Germany Tel.238041 Comunidad eurqpea, Serrano, 41-5 a planta Madrid·.!, Spain Tel.4741199 Europaiki Koinotis, 2 Vassilissis Sofi.as, T.K. 1602,Athens l34, Greece Tel. 74 3 982/3/4 Europa-bericht, EUR info, Archimedesstraat 73, 1040 Brussel, Belgium Tel. 235 4178 Eclros dei'Eurqpe, Batiment jean Monnet, Luxembourg-Kirchberg Tel. 43011 Avrupa Toplulu~u, 13 BogazSokak Kavaklidere, Ankara, Turkey Tel.276145 EUROPE84 --

European aid takes the road to the Isles

inter in the Western Isles puts decline in the population as new generations At the same time, £36 million investment the problems ofth e crofting have left to seek their living in a more hospit­ will be made on the Harris tweed, knitwear, communities into perspective . able environment. seaweed , tourist and craft industries, as well WTh e beauty ofL ewis, pictured But the mood and the hopes ofthe islanders as on infrastructure and energy projects. above, H arris and the U ists, which attracts are changing, as a result of an Independent The IDP grant aid gives the islanders an numerous tourists in the summer months, Development Programme (IDP), backed by opportunity to tackle, in a unique and eo­ is hidden by the mists as gale-force winds European money, which is one of three pilot . ordinated way, the social and economic prob­ from the Atlantic pound the Outer schemes within the EEC. Over a five-year lems which affect their lives. The other two Hebrides. period, which started on September 1, 1982, pilot schemes are in F ranee and Luxembourg. Rain and spray pour down on waterlogged £20 million is being given to the Western Isles Crofts are usually small farms ofa few acres, fields and hills, making much of the land un­ for agriculture and fisheries projects. The grouped together in townships, with fenced­ suitable for farming. Exposed areas, like EEC contribution will be 40 per cent of that in arable land but using common grazing land Vatersay-the most southerly of the inhabited total. on a co-operative basis with their neighbours. islands- and Barra, need to provide housing 'There are very few crofts capable of provid­ for cattle to protect them from the severe con­ ing a full-time occupation,' says Bill Lawson, ditions. T hat can mean housing livestock the IDP team leader, who is based at Storno­ from mid-November to early May. ROY STEMMAN reports way on the island of Lewis. What the EEC­ T he transport ofsuitable animal feed to the from the Western Isles of backed scheme sets out to do is simply to help islands, during the winter months, adds con­ crofters make better use of their land. siderably to the operating costs. Scotland, where A former land economics lecturer at Paisley T he islands have been inhabited since pre­ Community funds are College of Technology on the Scottish main­ historic times. Even then, with limited means land, which be served for 17 years, Bill Law­ at his disposal, man managed to survive. In re­ helping crofters and farmers son has had a strong attachment with the cent years, however, there has been a steady to make ends meet Western Isles for 30 years, mostly through ... 3 EUROPE84 '£20 million is being given to the Western Isles for agriculture and fishery, of which the EEC win contribute 40percent' holidaying and researching 11,000 family and croft histories. Now he spends his full time travelling throughout the islands in order to discuss and explain the IDP scheme and the many initiatives that are now open to the islan­ ders. Land improvement, such as fencing and draining, was the first priority. In the first year of the IDP, 4,044 applications were received from 2,163 crofters- that's. just overa third of all land holdings in the area. Half of the applications were for fencing­ the first stage in land improvement - and 42 cows. His sheep will total 300 and he will be Above: the inshore fleets are bein9 joined per cent of them went on with additional building a cattle shed and shelter belts. by a new industry-fish farming. Rtght: schemes. At the end of the first year, more Mr Maciver's Glebeland Fann, however, is sea-coast on the Western Isle of O rkney, than £1 million had been paid out on the 839 exceptionally large. Lewis has thousands of which is receiving wage-subsidy grants land improvement schemes that had been tiny crofts, but they can all take advantage of from the European Social Fund. completed. the EEC-backed project. At Upper Barvas, One problem that should soon be overcome for example, the grazing committee hope to is the number of under-used crofts which improve the 4,000 acres ofcommo n land own­ long ropes from rafts and left to feed them­ exist, particularly on Barra. The Crofters ed by the 20-croft township, including a lOO­ selves on plankton before being harvested 18 Commission is finalising a Crofters Outgoers acre area that is already being fenced and months later. Scheme which will assist the release of drained. What will make fish farming ventures even smallholdings to active crofters. Once land is The IDP also encourages stock marketing more attractive to the islanders, as well as fenced and adequately drained-and Bill Law­ and existing groups, such as Lewis Live­ commercially more viable, is the establish­ son would like to see 10,000 acres reclaimed stock, Harris Livestock and UistCalfProduc­ ment of fish and shellfish processing plants on during the life ofthe programme-crofters can ers, have all been able to extend their opera­ the Western Isles. Already, £¥.4 million has receive additional financial assistance for tions with financial help from the programme. been paid by IDP to four processing schemes. livestock improvement from IDP. But not all the IDP money is being spent on The crofters are also looking at ways of pro­ Over £100,000 has been paid out to appli­ the land. At the end of the five-year period, it viding energy. Peat has long been a source of cants under the calf and heifer schemes. But could be that as much as half ofthe £20 million heat, and new peat-cutting machinery has winter feed for cattle is a major problem and it spent will have gone to fish farming schemes. been demonstrated to the islanders. Discus­ may be necessary to wait until land improve­ Already, floats and rafts are to be seen in sever­ sions on tidal, hydro and wind power electric­ ment provides greater quantities of food be­ al ofthe island's lochs and rivers: the only visi­ ity generation have also taken place. fore the numbers of dairy cattle is increased. ble evidence of a highly capital-intensive Wind, of course, is something the Western One crofter, Andrew MacKinnon, is over­ underwater industry. Isles has in abundance, and the crofters wilJ be coming the cost ofwinter feeding by fattening Since the Hebridean fishing grounds are a awaiting the outcome oftests which have been some of his cattle in the Orkneys. He repre­ rich source of food, expansion of the islands' taking place on another group of Scottish is­ sents a new breed ofcrofter: once a joiner, he fishing activities is a shrewd investment. Over lands, the Orkneys, which spread like step­ has given up a secure job and high wages to £Yl million has been paid to 10 applicants in­ ping stones from the north-east mainland farm ISO acres at Griminish, Benbecula. This volved in fin-fish (salmon and trout) farming, coast. An experimental2SO kilowatt machine tiny island, between North and South Uist, and a further £150,000 is helping 22 shell-fish has begun operation, and is to be followed by a was the place from which Bonnie Prince farming projects (mostly mussels) get started. three-megawatt generator in 1986, costing Charlie, dressed as Flora MacDonald's maid, Tremendous interest in this industry has been over £5 million. EEC funding has been sought escaped in a rowing boat to Skye, in 1746. shown but shortage ofspat has been a limiting for the project. It was the IDP incentive which encouraged factor so far. There is also keen competition In November 1983, the 100 inhabitants of the young man to put his savings in to the croft, for suitable sites. North Ronaldsay, the most northerly island in with the intention of building a 35-strong cow Mussel farming is a part-time occupation Orkney, were linked by submarine cable to herd and doubling his flock of60 breeding ewe and not labour-intensive, which is why it the National Grid. by the end of the five-year programme. seems to be attracting the greatest interest. The £860,000 required to supply their 60 At Upper Barvas, Lewis, a 400-acre farm Spats, collected in May, are suspended on homes with electricity came from the North of has been bought by Donald Maciver, who is Scotland Hydro Electric Board, the EEC returning to the Western Isles after a 13-year Regional Development Fund and the Orkney absence of farming on the mainland. He, too, 'As much as half the Island Council. is taking full advantage of IDP, beginning £20 million may be Before the National Grid stretched out to with a £90,000 scheme to drain 70 acres ofbog spent on fish farming reach this northern outpost the inhabitants of and moorland. This he will follow with 250 North Ronaldsay relied on diesel generators acres of surface seeding, seven miles of fenc­ schemes' and gas bottles. They waited as late as possible ing and an increase in herd size of 40 to 100 before using them, then tried to watch TV, 4 EUROPE84

vacuum and iron all at the same time in order vide new jobs for local people. In the summer to make the most economic use of the power Pfhe EEC has funded of 1983 the ERDF announced a £600,000 supply. Another EEC grant, of£536,700, has tourist ventures grant towards the modernisation of a swim­ enabled electricity to be supplied by sub­ which, as well as ming pool at Inverness and the construction of marine cable to Rousay and Westray. a tourist information centre and cinema at Further north, on the Shetlands, the North aHractin$1 visitors, Fort William, at the foot of Ben Nevis. ofScotland Hydro Electric Board has received will prov1de iobs Among EEC-aided rail schemes is a a £5.4 million Regional Fund grant for an elec­ £415,000 project to provide radio signalling tricity generating station at Lerwick. for local people' between Dingwall and Kyle of Lochalsh, But it is not only the Scottish islands which where passengers board the ferry to the Isle of have needed to be linked to the national elec­ Skye. £210,000iscomingfrom theERDFfor tricity supply. Even on the mainland, in the (ESF) has been of crucial assistance in this re­ the radio signalling scheme - the first of its sparsely populated Highland Region, some spect. In November 1983, for example, the kind in the country - which will control all people have been living without electricity ESF announced that it was giving £2.2 million train movements on the 63-mile stretch ofline until recently. In December 1982, 26 homes to three Scottish authorities- the Strathclyde, from a control room at Dingwall station. In­ close to the shores of Loch Eriboll, a remote Central and Highland Regions - who would structions will be relayed to drivers by VHF Sutherland community, were connected to a use the money to provide 4,000 new jobs. radio to a unit in their cab and also through a new overhead power line extending from In the same tranche, the ESF gave grants to visual display unit. It is due to go into opera­ Durness. the Western Isles Council and to the Orkney tion in the early summer. This was one of several schemes under the Islands Council (£58,000 and £19,500 respec­ And what do the people of the Highlands North of Scotland Hydro Electric Board's tively) to enable them to provide wage sub­ and Islands do when they want to get away economic development programme, costing sidies to firms creating new jobs for unem­ from all the tourists? They can become tour­ £1 112 million. The board's chairman and chief ployed people. (This is similar to the very suc­ ists themselves. A train to Glasgow or Edin­ executive, Kenneth Vernon, commented: cessful Strathclyde scheme reported in our burgh will enable them to catch 'The Euro­ 'The programme, which has an EEC grant, last issue.) The Shetlands Islands Council also pean', a new through train to Harwich which enables us to take electricity to the last few re­ received a £23,400 ESF grant for a continuous was launthed in May, 1983. The daily train maining communities without power.' wage subsidy scheme. service runs via Manchester and Nottingham, Throughout the Highlands and islands of The EEC has also financed a number of connecting with the overnight Sealink sailing Scotland there is a great need to encourage tourist ventures in the Highlands which, as to the Hook of Holland. From there they can new jobs, and the European Social Fund well as attracting more visitors, will also pro- catch direct trains to many European cities. [I 5 EUROPE84

the remaining half is provided in matching money by the participants. The total value of ESPRIT-that's the spirit the 200 or so submissions was 580 million ECUs, requiring EEC financing amounting to 290 million ECUs in all, or SS million for the for the electronics race first year. As it was, of course, the Commis­ sion'sfinancialsupportforthepilotphaseisli­ mited to ll.S million. he ESPRIT programme on its own, Information technology The ESPRIT task force is now working on ays Michel Carpentier, will not close the plan for the main phase, which during the 'technology gap' that now offers a challenge to 1984-88 will require 7SO million ECUs in l eparates Europe from Japan and the Europe's electronic Community funding and which by April or United States. But without it, he adds, our May of this year will result in a major new call chances of catching up would become very industries-helped by for proposals by the Commission. The work­ slim. Community funds which plan's structure is that there are five areas for Carpentier is the senior French Eurocrat amount to 50 per cent of all action within the ESPRIT programme-three who has been drafted in from the European ofwhich are crucial technologies. Commission's Energy Directorate to head the spending on 'pre­ France's involvement in some of the 36 new ESPRIT task force that is in charge of the competitive' research ESPRIT pilot projects is through a much new ten-year programme for boosting Euro­ smaller number of organisations and com­ pean research and development efforts in the IPC~•••••-==:=:::::!••==:"!11• panies, many of which are concerned with field· of information technology and telema­ several different projects. Thomson-CSF, for tics. the neat acronym stands for European instance, is partnering Britain's Plessey and With the pilot phase of ESPRIT now under Strategic Programme for Research and De­ GEC companies in the development ofan adv­ way, and the first of two five-year main phases velopment in Information Technology- is anced interconnect for VLSI (very large scale costing l.S billion ECUs each due to start in that R & D projects that qualify for the SO per integrated circuits), and is also involvd in no 1984, the project has moved off the drawing cent or more Community funding on offer less than four other ESPRIT projects. Again, board. It is now a crucial part ofthe Commun­ must have a strong cross-border character. At CII-Honeywell Bull is taking part in seven ity drive to stimulate industrial innovation. the same time, they will, it is hoped, help different projects ranging from knowledge For the ESPRIT programme's major aim is to bring together the major European electro­ information management systems to multi­ encourage EEC-wide projects at the advanced nics groups and the hundreds ofmuch smaller media user interface at the office workstation. 'pre-competitive' phase of information tech­ high technology companies, universities and ESPRIT is stillinits infancy, even though it nology (IT) research and development. Be­ research laboratories that are so often the is fair to say that, since the 1980 start ofdiscus­ cause there is no immediate commercial ap­ springboard for innovative new technologies. sions between the Commission and the major plication, competitors in different member The projects comcerned in the pilot phase states can greatly reduce wasteful duplication ofESPRIT giveanindicationoftheCommun­ IJhe-hope is that ofR & D costs through cooperation. ity-wide character. Of the 36 projects that The aim is that the European Community's were selected from over 200 submissions to Europe will be dramatically .worsening position vis a vis its the independent selection panels appointed catapulted into the Americari. and Japanese competitors should at by Brussels, a number P.ave half-;l-dozen or forefront of the the very least be restored to technological and more different participants from various 1 commercial parity by the early 1990s. But member states. The bulk of the projects, internationallY race Michel Carpentier makes it clear that though, group two or three participants from tJ! .... ESPRIT must be seen as just o1;1e element, two or three member states. albeit an important one, in the overall strategy The number of organisations concerned in European companies in what is called the to be adopted by EEC governments. making what were sometimes multiple pro­ Joint European Planning Exercise in In­ The European Commission's concern is posals totalled 77. Of these, 27 were in Great formation Technology OEPE-IT), the prog­ that urgent steps must be taken to improve Britain, 21 in the Federal Republic of Ger­ ramme has moved with impressively non-com­ market conditions for Europe's producers of many, 10 in the Netherlands, eight were in munautaire speed. But Michel Carpentier IT; the Ten must agree to liberalise their Belgium, four in France and two in Italy. points out that, already, one of the important national information technology markets and To be considered, project partnerships for aspects of ESPRIT is that its projects are set to public procurement policies in order to create ESPRIT have to group at least two pure re­ becomeanintegralpartofthemajorEuropean a unified domestic EEC market on a par with search facilities from different member states, IT groups' R & D programmes. In reply to the those enjoyed by the equivalent industries of and must also include at least one 'commer­ point that ESPRIT, for all its fanfare, repre­ the US and Japan. cially orientated' partner, preferably an EEC sents only 6 per cent of Community R & D In other words, the member governments industrial company. When the six panels met spending on IT, Carpentier points out that it must provide information technology com­ in Brussels in the spring of 1983 to select the also accounts during its first main phase for panies in Europe with a new 'market pull' that projects thatwouldmakeup the one-year pilot about SO per cent of all spending on pre-com­ will complement the ESPRIT programme's phase, they found that only a third of the 200 petitive research. 'technological push'. proposals that had come in after 2,SOO orga­ The hope is that concentration on pre-com­ The essence of the ESPRIT programme- nisations had been contacted by the Commis­ petitive technologies will catapult Europe sion were either of the right technical quality back into to forefront of the international IT 1 or met the ESPRIT cross-frontier part­ race. The need to do so is growing almost dai­ ESPRIT must be seen nerships criteria. ly: the EEC's IT companies have only 40 per as iust one element in That apparently harsh selection process cent of their own home markets and 10 per may reflect, though, the European Commis­ cent of the 'third. markets around the world in the strategy of EEC sion's need to limit pilot projects to the budget which exporters compete evenly. That means 1 governments ceiling of the scheme. In its pilot phases, the Community has just IS per cent of the ESPRIT will cost just 23 million ECUs, of almost $SOO billion world market for IT, yet which half is funded by the Community and its natural share should be 30 per cent. m 6 EUROPE84

ADAM FERGUSSON, Member ofthe European Parliament for Strathclyde West

IF THE axiom holds good that 'By the time the heads of the Community only makes progress through crisis, then it g~vernment meet in Brussels in must be presumed that, at last · March, the fuse on the time­ December's summit in Athens, the crisis was still not acute bomb will be pretty short' enough to get anything done. Financial breaking-point (so course, the intransigeance of the British Prime Minister. inaccurately described as There seems to have been some justice in all these charges ­ bankruptcy: but it is not although ifher fellow heads of government have not yet discovered bankruptcy to be forced to be that Mrs Thatcher tends to start off any auction with her final bid, cost-conscious) was in sight, they are not likely to learn by March. However, it is hard to although we had not reached it; disagree with Mr Papandreou's own verdict that the failure was and the game of chicken could 'the result of a process of deterioration which has been going on for go on a little longer. The danger years' - the refusal to tackle the problems in the past having made now is that, for once, the matters immeasurably worse. It was even harder to deny Gaston eleventh hour will pass, and it will not be possible to stop the clock Thorn's diagnosis, that the collapse stemmed from member states' long enough to allow common sense to claim its victory once again. persistently flouting Community rules. At the beginning of 1984, what with the Lebanon, the Yet optimism has been the order among the depressed disarmament problem and all, a political role for the Community governmental spokesmen; and our fears may be exaggerated that was never more urgent. !fit were to lapse into the economic chaos 31 March will set the Community off into the rocky waters of a that the Athens failure indicated, that would be less ofan budgetary free-for-all of withheld contributions, frozen economic disaster than a political one. For, just as Western agricultural prices, national aids and universal litigation. Such Europe remains one of the great sanctuaries of world freedom, so behaviour will add rancour rather than urgency to the crisis- for has the European Community, in part through its actual and so long as 'own resources' remain what they are, time is running potential economic strength, become one of the principal out for overhauling radically the Community's commitments. gyroscopes of global political stability. Suspicion and uncertainty of what the various parties may or The six-month Greek presidency certainly had its failings, of may not do will not help things at the Brussels summit, benefit as it which the inability of the ten Heads of Government even to may from some obvious lessons from Athens. The Parliament will produce a joint communique in December was possibly the most there be presenting the oddest of threats ifit intends to honour its alarming. Yet the recriminatory aftermath of the September pledge not to keep the British rebate frozen after 31 March. But meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers, when the Greek suppose the freeze continues. Do the parliamentarians perceive president refused to condemn the destruction of the Korean themselves to be pursuing the same reforms as Britain is calling airliner, though scarcely less shocking to the Community's amour for? Would they-as logic would suggest-positively wish Britain propre, did have one important positive aspect: by denying, in to start witholding payments precisely in order to increase the word and deed, that Europe.an political co-operation (EPC) had pressure for that common reforming policy? Why else use Chapter any part to play in the development of a common foreign policy, 100 of the Budget at all, unless to keep the rebate there, and the Mr Haralambopoulos reminded us all of how far EPC had come, screws on, for as long as it takes? and of how much we stood to lose ifthe emerging political entity of Or is the Parliament's ulterior purpose the same as that of the Community were to be destroyed. lfEPC is not about a several member states-to solve the difficulties by forcing Britain common approach to extra-Community affairs, it is about to agree to an incease in own resources by upping the VAT nothing. percentage? Ifs o, short oflasting provisions for financial and What, then, oflife after Athens? Shall we see an early solution to agricultural policy reform, it will certainly be disappointed. Or is the budgetary and agricultural policy problems accepted by one it banking on the British Governments vaunted respect for laws and all? Ten minds may by now be wonderfully concentrated, but and treaties which will preclude any move-such as paying the that is oflittle avail if there is no common perception of what (or British subscription into Britain's own 'Chapter 100'- which does who) is bound to give. Or shall one or other member state be not conform with the rules as normally practised? It must be pressed into 'safeguarding its own position' in regard to supplying foolish to force Mrs Thatcher to choose between the roles of the Community's own resources? Europe's champion or Britain's, especially at election time. After Athens, Brussels in March. By the time the heads of These waters may become less murky as the weeks roll by. The government meet again there, the fuse on the time-bomb laid by optimistic noises we have heard from the leaders who jointly the European Parliament in December will be pretty short. And it contributed to the Athens failure may well herald a greater is hard to tell-as this goes to press-who is going to lose most face readiness to rethink positions long main rained. if the unlikely once more fails to happen. However, the over-riding worry is whether the Community Hopes that Athens would produce solutions may have been individually and collectively will survive the amount ofconcession simple piety; for it was not until debacle had come that the national and sacrifice which a lasting agreement implies, in sufficiently leaders started to say that ten years of shirking the issues had made trusting and friendly a shape to move on to the relance: to embark them practically intractable. Many other reasons for failure have on the new social and industrial policies, on the next enlargement, been heard. They include, credibly enough, incompetent and on the expansion of its existing programmes which the dire organisation and chairmanship; woefully inadequate briefing of economic condition of Europe so urgently demands. Only thus both the French President and the German Chancellor; and, of will the political gyroscope be set spinning again.

7 EUROPE84 Britain is out of step on workers' rights

Industrial relations in Britain differ from those in stiff resistance from the trade union movement. But most other Community countries in that they depend proposed European Community legislation that on custom and bargaining rather than on regulation would oblige employers oflarger companies to and labour law. Government efforts to change this provide their workers with a share in decision­ situation in regard to trade unions have engendered making has created similar alarm in UK boardrooms.

ew proposals coming out of Brussels large, limited to the local level, and so no lon­ approach the parent company direct) with a have aroused so much agitation and ger correspond to the reality ofcorporate deci­ view to obtaining the information. condemnation this side ofthe Channel sion-making which can take place in a country In cases where the parent management is Fas the proposed legislation on workers' or region other than where workers are seek­ proposing changes directly affecting em­ rights. The British Government published a ing information and consultation. Thus, the ployees, such as transfers, modifications in consultative document in November which directive would apply to companies · em­ production, or closures, it would have to in­ even the Financial Times regarded as 'a sus­ ploying 1,000 or more workers (1 00 in the ori­ form each subsidiary management 'in good tained, closely argued polemic' against the ginal version) in the Community as a whole, time' before a final decision was taken, so that draft directives; while the CBI has made plain irrespective of the size of subsidiaries in each employees could be informed and allowed 30 thathoweveramended,itisagainsttheprinci­ country. It should therefore affect the major­ days to consult and give their opinion on the ple oflegislation on all counts. ity of multinationals or larger company changes. The trade union movement, on the other groups operating in the Community at the Confidential information could only be hand, is disappointed that, in its winding pas­ present time. withheld on grounds that, if disclosed, it sage through Community institutions, the Such a move would be very much in line could substantially damage the company's in­ European Commission's original proposals with voluntary guidelineS favoured by the terests or lead to failure of its plans. But it have been significantly diluted by the Euro­ OECD and the International Labour Office, would be open to the workers' representatives pean Parliament, itself heavily lobbied by and with the best industrial practices already to challenge the management over confide­ multinational and other companies. operating in West Germany, Belgium and the ntiality, when the matter would have to be set­ Yet in the briefdiscussions in the Council of Netherlands. tled by an independent tribunal. Where secret Ministers in December on the question of Stripped of jargon, the legislation would re­ matters were disclosed employee representa­ workers' rights to information and consulta­ quire the management ofa parent company at tives would be bound, in the same way as man­ tion, only the UK was opposed to the legisla­ least once a year, on a fixed date, to forward in agement, to maintain discretion about the tion in principle. Others have reservations ab­ an 'intelligible form' a clear picture ofthe acti­ issues involved. out its practicality, problems of confiden­ vities of the parent undertaking and its sub­ The Commission's draft directive on work­ tiality, and so on. But the idea that workers sidiaries as a whole to the management ofeach er participation in decision-making has a should be kept as fully informed as are share­ of its subsidiaries, with a proviso that, where much longer history, and is bound up with an holders on a company's activities, or have shareholders are given an interim report, this on-going process to harmonise company law trans-frontier access to a head company in the should be communicated also without waiting throughout the Community. While a number caseoflargegroupsormultinationals,appears for a fixed date. ofdirectives have already been adopted in this far less alarming on the Continent than it does Local management would, in turn, com­ field, this fifth draft directive has encountered in Britain. In West Germany, worker parti­ municate this information without delay to oppositionoveraperiodofthirteenyears,and cipation in management has been in force for employee representatives, such as trade un­ could again be defeated by a British veto. years; and, in general in Europe, the law is re­ ions, works councils or equivalent worker In 1970 the Commission proposed a Euro­ garded as an ally rather than an enemy in im­ organisations, and woUld include reference to pean Company Statute which companies with proving industrial relations. the company's economic and financial situa­ cross-frontier interests could adopt as an Certainly, if either directive does become tion, probable business development, pro­ alternative to national company law. It envis­ law- and Britain may still exercise a veto on duction and sales, the employment situation aged a two-tier structure, with an executive the matter - the legislation would introduce and investment prospects. If the local man­ management board and a supervisory board some radical changes in British companies agement failed to provide the workers' repre­ with specific legal powers, which would in­ which, apart from Ireland, tend to be run on sentatives with the information within 30 days clude representatives of both workers and different lines from those on the Continent. of the fixed date, they would be able to shareholders, much on the lines of what has The centres of controversy are two draft approach the parent management in writing proved successful in West Germany. directives which, though formulated at diffe­ (instead of as in the earlier draft being able to Since then, the draft directive has passed rent times and with different objectives, have through many stages and, after a heavy maul­ become politically interlinkedin the UK. One ing in the European Parliament, has emerged is the so-called 'Vredeling' proposal, named 'In Europe, the law is in a more flexible form, which tries to take into after the former European commissioner who account the different company structures and introduced it in 1980; th~ other is an up-dated regarded as an ally habits ofcollective bargaining that are distinc­ fifth directive on company law which origin­ rather than an enemy tive to the UK. Whereas two-tier systems of atedasfarbackas 1970. • • • supervisory and management boards are com­ In Community terms, Vredeling is the In ImprOVIng mon to companies on the Continent, in Britain more radical. The European Commission's industrial relations' the norm is for a unitary management board rationale for introducing it is that information with executive and non-executive directors, and consultation rights ofworkers are, by and the latter with no supervisory function over 8 EUROPE84

management. Ifadopted, therefore, the direc­ volvement', as a defence measure in arguing tive would require considerable changes in the 'After a heavy mauling its case against Community legislation. style of British management. in the European The Confederation of British Industries' Under the legislation, governments would Parliament, the bill attitude largely reflects the Government's have to ensure legal provision for a company to view, but the CBI emphasise& that its reaction be organised on a two-tier system, consisting has emerged in more to the two directives differs. Though it ofamanagementandasupervisoryorgan, but flexible form' opposes Vredeling on all counts, on the fifth countries like the UK, where the unitary sys­ directive, while favouring increased worker tem prevails, would be permitted to choose involvement in decision-making through between a two-tier system or a one-tier ad­ elected, appointed or eo-opted as non-execu­ voluntary agreements, it is opposed to uni­ ministrative board, where non-executive tive directors to the company board. form legislation on this issue. directors would have a supervisory rather Unless workers decide by majority vote that Such legislation in the field of industrial re­ than a management role. they don't want a hand in it at all, some form of lations, it claims, makes no contribution to in­ The draft directive differentiates very participation will be compulsory. If it cannot dustrial competitiveness or development of clearly between the strategic role of supervis­ be arrived at within a year by collective bar­ the common market. It could sour relations ory boards or non-executive directors and the gaining, one of the other options would auto­ between workers and management, says the role of management. Worker participation matically apply. CBI, and, apart from the radical effect it would apply only to the supervisory or non­ The Government's consultative document would have on British company structures, executive role. Management would still be en­ - on which it has called for comment by the could impede decision-making and involve titled to manage. end of February 1984- expresses 'profound great difficulties over disclosure of confiden­ The directive would be mandatory only on reservations' about both directives, arguing tial information. public limited companies which directly, or that, whileitisfirmlycommitted to the princi­ Not surprisingly, the trade union move­ indirectly through subsidiaries, employ over ple ofmanagements informing and consulting ment takes a different view of the proposed 1,000 people within the Community (com­ employees, such arrangements should be legislation. While the European Trade Union pared with 500 in earlier drafts). It also lays voluntary and not the subject oflegislation. Confederation (ETUC) has criticised the . down rules governing the annual general Apart from theallegedlypossible unfavour­ watering down ofthe original Vredelingdirec­ meeting, the protection of shareholders, and able impact on foreign investment of the tive, the British TUC is more phlegmatic. In the functions of auditors, fields in which the Vredeling proposal, the Government is also considers that, having run the gamut over a British government has less reservations than concerned about overlap and confusion in number of years, further discussion on the over the knotty point ofworker participation. supplying information to workers under the directives can only lead to further deadlock. If Because of differences in law and custom, two directives and, in particular, the practi­ Vredeling were adopted, says David Lea, the Commission suggest a choice of options cality of the secrecy provisions of both. Assistant General Secretary of the TUC, for worker participation in decision-making The idea ofworker non-executive directors much of the fifth directive on worker parti­ which includes employee representation, or with a 'supervisory' function would also, in cipation would fall automatically into place. co-optionoffromone-thirdtoahalf,onsuper­ Government's view, 'involve a significant de­ What is needed, he insists, is a framework for visory boards; a separate worker consultative parture from present UK practice', where ex­ workers' rights, covering information and body, with obligation on management to ecutive and non-executive directors work consultation which would benefit both sides supply it with full information; and, more re­ together collectively and not as supervisors of industry, notably in combating unemploy­ levant to British conditions, a method of em­ and supervised. It regards the Employment ment and meeting the challenge of changing ployee participation agreed through collective Act, 1982, which requires companies to re­ industrial scene. bargaining - which could mean workers port annually on procedures of 'employee in- British trade unions have moved a long way in the last twenty years from suspicions ofpar­ ticipation in decision-making to active con­ cern. But British employers have been slow to respond, compared with their Continental counterparts. In the TUC view, joint trade union committees could provide, on the em­ ployees' part, the vehicle for implementing both Vredeling and the fifth directive in the UK, while allowing for flexibility to meet the needs of individual firms. It is clear that the issue is an important one, not only for the Community but also for in­ dustrial relations within the UK. The CBI estimates that, in Britain today, about 80 per cent of companies- including the top 100- have some scheme for providing employees with information or a share in decision-mak­ ing. But it admits that the degree of involve­ ment differs widely from firm to firm. There is no doubt that the possibility of legislation has sharpened perceptions on both sides of industry, on an issue that publicly has lain largely dormant in the UK since the Bul­ lock Report of 1977. Even if, as seems likely, no final decisions are taken on either directive for many months, the Community, as in other social fields, has prodded Britain into a reas­ sessment of its ways. PEGGYCRANE 9 EUROPE84 What can the Community do for the arts?

the end of November, Community Extra funds are being made The Community is also making efforts to Ministers ofthe Arts met at Delphi create job opportunities by means of festivals in Greece for the first time. There available to help cultural and exhibitions. Every year, the Wiltz Festiv­ Awas no lack oftopics to discuss. ln enterprises. Meanwhile, al in Luxembourg, welcomes actors, musi­ October 1982 the European Commission cians and dancers from different member had published a report setting up a most workers in the arts are states. At the Castle Museum, Norwich, spe­ schedule and outlining future action, based out of work or earning less cial displays put England's connections with on four main points: the improvement of than average incomes Europe in historical perspective.In 1984-8S, living and working conditions for artists; the Community is to s1,1pport a travelling ex­ the free exchange ofworks of art; the hibition, entitled 'Ten Masters, 100 Works'. conservation of our architectural heritage; As regards literature, the Community has and efforts to popularise the arts. given financial support to the translation of From Athens to Edinburgh, Europe's goire, are often 'real workers'. We need to im­ works that are representative of different cultural wealth is infinite. In view of its di­ prove thair living and working conditions. An member states. Some 20 titles were translated versity, the Community cannot draw up a estimated 80 per cent of actors are unem­ in 1982. Thecinemaisalsoonthelist: negotia­ cultural 'policy' or coordinate the cultural ployed, and 9S per cent of writers earn less tions are under way for the creation ofa Euro­ policies of the member states. The Commun­ than the minimum wage. Many compo.sers pean Film Festival at Lille. ity's role is to help the arts, not to pontificate earn almost nothing. In 1980, the city of Edinburgh received on culture. Accordingly, the Community will The Community has acted in several areas, 100,000 ECUs for the restoration and conver­ have to provide the economic and social means notably vocational training. The Community sion of a 19th-century building into an arts to facilitate their growth. gives out about SO grants a year for the con­ centre. In 1982, the European Investment The Treaty of Rome, which established the servation of Europe's architectural heritage, Bank lent money to the archeological museum European Economic Community in 19S8, is music and dance. These go to the young dan­ on the Greek island of Milos. In 1983, the supposed to promote economic and social de­ cers of Maurice Bejart's MUDRA dance Community lent money for the restoration of velopment. Cultural factors cannot be school in Brussels, young instrument makers the magnificent 'Giants' Staircase' of the ignored: the rules of the Common Market in Cremona (Italy), young composers at the Doge's palace in Venice. should apply to both goods and services in the University of Surrey, young musicians in The most spectacular operation has been arts. The Community should therefore try to Dublin and Siena, young painters in Venice, the restoration work on the Parthenon-an op­ improve the living and working conditions of and trainee head gardeners in Munich. The eration that will take ten years. artists and writers. European Community Youth Orchestra, In 1983, SOO,OOO ECUs ofEEC money went The Common Market is also commined to founded in 1978 in London, and currently led towards the work, and the same amount will eliminating distOftions of competition be­ by Claudio Abbado, offers young musicians a be given in 1984. Mter that a European fund tween member states, in order to establish a launching-pad to a professional career. for historic monuments will take over. single unified market. In the cultural sector that means harmonisation of VAT, and the question of royalties: for example, royalties are due to an artist or writer for 70 years in the Federal Republic of Germany, and only SO years in Belgium. The Treaty of Rome gives the Community the means to act. In 1969, a meeting ofheads of state and government agreed for the first time on the need for action in the arts sector. The commitment was reiterated in Copenhagen in 1973, and was followed by an extensive debate in the European Parliament. The European Commission acted in 1973 by establishing a special service, for which the President of the Commission, Gaston Thorn, has been personally responsible since the be­ ginningofhis term of office in 1981. In 1977, a first action programme for the arts was sent to the Council of Ministers. Today, the Com­ munity spends about 1,S8S,OOO ECUs a year on the arts. 'Saying one likes the arts, is no use if one does not like artists,' says Robert Gr~goire , the head of the cultural service at the Euro­ pean Commission. There is no doubt that, in its action to support the arts, the Community takes a social approach. The arts are created .. by men and women who, accordingtoMrGr~- Young EEC-oided dancers and choreographers under the eye of Merce Cunningham . 10 EUROPE84

Improving living and working conditions involves more effective protection of the artists themselves, or 'cultural workers', as Bringing up the European Commission describes them. The Commission has carried out several stu­ dies on the social security of artists, and the baby-with negative impact oftechnical developments. Socialsecurityforartistsisfarfromsatisfac­ tory. his often very difficult for self-employed time oH for artists to pay the employer's contribution over and above the normal contribution. Two member states, France and the Federal Re­ father public of Germany, have found a solution based on the concept of a 'collective em­ ployer': the publishing houses and the art trade pay the employer's contribution for the ver three million children are born whole profession. The Commission intends to every year in the Community. One ask other member states to adopt a similar home in two has one or more solution. Ochildren under the age of 15-and in The protection of artists is linked to the about half of them the mother goes out to question of pushing through legislation on work. -'The Commission is royalties and translation rights. A Commis­ Bringing up a child in our society is a fun­ trying to encourage sion proposal for a directive will try to harmo­ damental problem. A report published in nisetheperiodduringwhichroyaltiesaredue. 1982 by the Commission's consultative com­ fathers to ~lay an After the royalty period, the Commission mittee on equal opportunities for men and active role in bringing wants to introduce a 'public paying period', women concluded: 'Europe still operates up their children' within which the distributors would pay largely according to traditional role models. royalties to authors' societies, instead of get­ Paradoxically, the mother role and its pri­ ting the works for free. These societies could vileges often constitute an obstacle to the em­ then extend their activities and contribute to ployment and promotion ofwomen, while the titled to get her old job back. The Federal Re­ the promotion offurther works. father role is clearly that of the worker.' It public of Germany provides paid parental There are also certain tax reforms which added: 'A better balance must be found if leave for up to four months. But the European could help artists enormously. For example, people are to accept the idea that bringing up Commission has taken the Germans to the artists have to pay VAT everywhere except in children is a fundamental task as much for the European Court of Justice over the fact that it Denmark and France. In other countries they father as for the mother.' only applies to mothers. Greece and Denmark aresubjecttothesametaxesaspeopleworking The Commission supports the Commit­ have both adopted draft legislation on the sub­ in business or industry. The Commission has tee's finding; and in November 1983 adopted ject. a proposal for a directive on parental leave and The Commission's draft directive also deals -'The rules of the leave for family reasons, under its action pro­ with a second issue -leave for family reasons. gramme for equal treatment of men and It says that member states should agree on a Common Market women. The proposal would give fathers and minimum number of days that a worker can should apply to both mothers, whether married or not, the right to take off each year for pressing family reasons, a non-transferable parental leave of at least such as the illness of a spouse or child, the goods and services in three months, to be taken at any time during death of a parent or the marriage of a child. the arts' the two years following the birth or adoption This leave would be paid, and most member ,.1!,...,------~,- of a child. The fact that it would be a personal states already have some such system. right is aimed at encouraging fathers to use it. The Commission believes that both repeatedly asked the Council of ministers to Up to now, only mothers have tended to have measures come under the general heading ofa approve a directive aimed at reducing VAT on easy access to this kind ofleave. reduction in working time, and would the sale of works of art, and exempting artists The existing situation varies between diffe­ contribute to increased flexibility in the from the tax in the case of direct sales. rent member states. Maternity leave for organisation ofworking hours. Another means of combating unemploy­ mothers at the time of birth is common. But The replacement of workers on leave with ment among artists is by expanding outlets parental leave, in one form or another, only unemployed young people would provide and furthering their reputation abroad. The exists in the Federal Republic of Germany, work experience and reduce unemployment, Commission advocates the free circulation of Belgium, France and Italy. In Belgium it only it says. The key element in the proposals is the works of art and artists' tools. The Council of applies in the public sector, and in some other equal treatment programme to which the Ministers has been presented with proposals sectors where collective agreements have been Community is committed. Because of it the for regulations which, once they are adopted, negotiated. Commission has consistently differentiated will lead to a considerable simplification of Such leave is not paid. In Italy it is, but only between maternity leave and parental leave, in form-filling and red-tape. for the mother. In France parental leave is an attempt to encourage fathers to play an ac­ The Commission also intends to appoint a given in the public sector and in firms with tive role in the bringing up of their children. group of experts to study the national provi­ over 100employees. Themothercangiveitup However, it is worth noting that in Sweden, sions and practices which currently block the in favour of the father, but he is not paid. where a similar system has operated for sever­ exchange of works of art. Article 36 of the However, the French Council of Ministers al years, the results have been a good deal less Treaty of Rome in fact allows member states has adopted a draft law aimed at extending successful than was originally hoped. Despite to prohibit or restrict the exportation of leave to either the father or the mother for up equal treatment and paid leave, only 13 per 'national treasures'. The Commission has also to three children. cent of fathers have used it. This might sug­ proposed a European list of stolen works of Where provisions exist for prolonged gest that what is actually needed is a change of art. maternity leave, such as in the United King­ attitudes, rather than a change in the Com­ LILLANPURDOM dom and Luxembourg, the mother is only en- munity's laws. lit 11 EUROPE84 Against the rules-but who's to blow the whistle?

tate aids are to industry what a big The idea of a common think so. 'We have to take decisions every brother is like to a small boy fighting week. Governments realise that if we say No his equal on a school playground. market, enshrined in the today to their projects, we shall say No tomor­ SThey give advantage, they confer Rome Treaty, keeps coming row to others that could affect their markets.' security-and they invite retaliation. The temptation to provide public money to In an ideal common market they would not up against the realities of maintain economic activity and employment exist. But the Community is still far from 'big brother' protectionism. is naturally strongest when economic condi­ being that. With ten governments vying to ex­ The only solution would be tions are poor, and the pattern of aids over the tend or maintain their own industrial per­ pasttenyearsreflectsthis. In 1970, before the formance, the temptations to offer subsidies, for all the Ten to adopt truly recession, the Commission considered only 21 price concessions and special deals to help open trade policies between applications for aid. In 1981 the figure was one's own can be irrestistible. Frankly it 141. Over the past two years the officially de­ would be a small wonder, indeed, ifthey were themselves clared total of state subsidies by member resisted. Hbig brother can help make life a lit­ states has doubled. tle easier for his own, then so be it. This begs the question ofwhether the prac­ This attitude is oflong standing-andin the tice of state aid might decline given the im~ views of the Community's founding fathers, This in turn raised the question ofwhether, proved economic prospects for the Commun­ entirely wrong. The Treaties lay down l:lS a in ruling on the relationships between govern­ ity countries next year. But Mr Andriessen fundamental principle the idea offree and fair ments and nationalised industries, the said he was 'not very optimistic'. circulation of goods and services between Commission may not be stepping into rather The problem is partly psychological, he ex­ member states. Each is to compete on its own awkward political territory. H a member plained. 'Industries have more or less got merits, without help from government or government chooses, for instance, to subsi­ accustomed to the fact that they can go to gov­ public authority. dise a certain form ofenergy for social or other ernment for help. It's not the same in every Article 92 of the Treaty of Rome says it non-economic reasons, is it right that the country. But a plea for aid in one country clearly: 'Any aid granted by a member state or Commission should stop it? could affect the industry of another.' through state resources in any form whatsoev­ I put this point to Frans Andriessen, the Mr Andriessen went on to make the point erwhich distorts, or threatens to distort, com­ DutchCommissionerinBrusselswhohandles that the supposed economic recovery was not petition by favouring certain undertakings or matters of state aid. 'This is a basic market­ well spread. 'There are sectors in difficulty, the production ofcertain goods shall, in so far oriented economy,' he said. 'The Treaty of such as steel, textiles and shipbuilding. There as it affects trade between the member states, Rome allows member states to have their own is the question of competition from the Far be incompati,ble with the common market.' political systems. But the Treaty basically sets East.' He seemed convinced that the problem Under article 93 of the Treaty, member out a market economy. ·So even state-owned ofgrappling with state aids would remain with states must notify the European Commission companies have to behave as if they were pri­ the Commission for a considerable time to about proposed or existing aid. Brussels is vate.' come. empowered to approve, reject or modify it. In Mr Andriessen quoted the case of French The essential problem is that, while the 1980 the European Court ofJustice laid down textiles, where the government introduced a European Community is a supposedly free that the Commission could only approve aid subsidy scheme a year and a half ago to protect trade area, a genuine common market, its when the proposed assistance 'contributes to its domestic industry. The Commission political and fiscal integration has nowhere the achievement of Community objectives judged the French plans to be incompatible near matched the strides it has made in reduc­ and interests'. with the Treaty. Francedidnotagree, and the ing tariffs and duties between members. Thus In 1981 the Commission identified the three case went to the European Court of Justice, while intra-community trade develops, the basic principles governing its decisions: state which found in the Commission's favour. social and political concerns of member gov­ aid should not lead to the transfer ofindustrial 'So the French stopped it. Now we are dis­ ernments remain isolated and impregnable, difficulties or unemployment from one mem­ cussing with France how the French system This leads to inevitable tension as govern­ ber state to others: it should enable the be­ can be adjusted to comply with Community ments seek to meet national concerns that are neficiary to return to normal business without rules. It was a clear-cut case of a national often in conflict with Community principles. help, and it should be 'transparent'-that is to scheme that was unacceptable. The French Governments then become more devious say, the Commission should be able to identify can do what they like but they have to behave and seek to hide their national aids in in­ and monitor it at all times. in accordance with the Treaty of Rome.' creasingly imaginative forms. The Commis­ Unfortunately, state aid is often extremely Doesn't this breed a certain resentment sion is aware of this and has stepped up its de­ difficult to detect. A British shipyard com­ among member states about the Commis­ mands for 'transparency' on a sector by sector plained earlier this year that Denmark had sion's behaviour? Mr Andriessen does not basis: The game becomes increasingly soph­ 'bought' a contract by suspending local insur- · isticated. The penalties of failure become ance taxes on workers, thus cutting the labour more serious. costs to the successful yard. In such cases the 'Over the past two 'The idea of a genuine common market is Commission makes an investigation. But the years, the declared nonsense if members cheat and secretly pay problems of identifying aid can be awesome, total of state subsidies their industries to steal or hold markets to and nowhere is this more true than in the which they have no right,' says an EEC of­ nationalised industries, whose financial rela­ by member states· has ficial. 'The idea of a common market can only tionships with governments and other public doubled' be upheld ifall members play by the rules.' authorities can sometimes seem impene­ trable. ALAN OSBOURN 12 tried to maintain the global overview, but it soon becameapparentthatoverall agreement was not in the offing. In a number of areas the search for com­ promise required major efforts and con­ cessions that the member states were not ready to make. During the preparatory stage a varie­ ty of meetings at ministerial level were exclusively devoted to the Summit. But no delegation was prepared to make con­ cessions, believing that they were best left to the heads of government. Although understandable, this attitude dangerously slowed up their 'normal' work. The rapid re-establishment of a nor­ mal situation and a resumption of'busi­ ness as usual' is not only necessary to allow Europe's reputation to recover, to restore confidence, and to bring unani­ mity back to the Community of the NoconsensusafterAthens Eighties. They are also necessary for concrete and practical reasons required by indus­ on Gaston Thorn's 'second try and businessmen, who have consis­ tently stated that they need Europe and that a unified area is essential ifthey are generation Europe' to compete with the United States and Japan, increase economic growth and create jobs. Fran~is Ceyrac, the Presi­ Never before had a Summit meeting ofthe European Council dent of the Economic and Social Com­ been such an unmitigated failure. After the December session, mittee, says: 'The failure of Athens has no one attempted to disguise the result or make believe that spotlighted the growing gap that sepa­ rates politicians from the concrete reali­ some sort ofpartial agreement had been achieved. For the first ties of Europe: Europe is growing day time in the history ofthe meetings, no communique was by day and its strength comes from published and no (conclusions' were presented to the press by necessity.' the President. Naked disagreement was visible to everyone. Guido Carli, the President ofUNIGE (the EC industry union) believes that the delay in creating a unified economic The bald presentation ofthe facts was 'Agreement would area has been damaging. 'Businessmen no accident. It was deliberately chosen must be able to look at the Community by the President of the Council, Mr have allowed as a home market. But25yearsafterthe Papandreou, in conjunction with Com­ Europe to establish a signing of the Treaty ofRome, the mar­ mission President Gaston Thorn, to let ket is still· fragmented by numerous Europeans know that, for the moment, timetable for an technical trade barriers, protected pub­ no consensus exists on the plans for a enlargement of the lic markets and frontier red tape. The 'second generation Europe' discussed at Community' cost of this non-Europe and concealed the last Summit in Stuttgart. protectionism has been paid in terms of Four themes were on the agenda. growth, competitivity andjobs, and is an First, reform ofthe CAP and controls on estimated 50 billion ECUs.' agricultural spending. Second, defini­ current difficulties relating to Spanish The Community budget of 25 billion tionofafuturesystemofEC:financethat and Portuguese accession, leading to the ECUs pales by comparison. Differences would correct the imbalances com­ establishment of a timetable for en­ inAthenscentredonafractionofthetot­ plainedofby anumberofmemberstates largement of the Community, that al and resulted in prolonging the cost of and increase the Community's 'own re­ would bring it to its optimal size. non-Europe. Europeans are paying the sources'. Third, revision of the Com­ The overall design of the plan was price. munity's structural policies, primarily clearly lost in the preparatory work According to Carli the evolution ofin­ those aimed atincreasingeconomiccon­ leading up to the Summit. Emphasis formation technology in Europe could vergence and helping poorer regions, to was placed on one or other theme. Some create 4 million jobs by 1990-a third of increase their efficiency and Europe's governments concentrated almost ex­ all Europe's unemployed. With figures sense of unity. And fourth, a relaunch clusively on agricultural spending con­ likethat,howcanonepossiblyargueab­ of existing common policies and the trols and reform of the CAP. Others out whether the ESPRIT programme introduction ofnew ones, to improve the regarded the cOrrection of budgetary should cost 750millionECUsor700mil­ operation of the common market and imbalances as having absolute priority. lionECUs? How is it possible? progressively create a single unified in­ Others again wanted increased support IfthefailureofAthensled to some sort dustrial, scientific and financial area. for infrastructures and rejected almost ofthoughtontheselines,itwillnothave Agreement on the four themes would any reform ofthe CAP. been totally wasted~ have allowed Europe to overcome the The Presidency and the Commission FERDINANDO RICCARDI

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1984 (i) ..,..,...... -·-~ "'""" H- ~ -~~_,...,...,..,~ .... ~ ...~"'""'·~ .h----~""-'~""'"'""''"'""~"'"""'~'""'---"~-"->;.,;;..~ 'With empty hands'. Die Welt took a similarview,referringtothebudgetcri­ Europe's press on the outcome sis and observing that 'Europe has run aground under the Acropolis.' The Sud­ Critical reactions to the failure ofthe Athens Summit deutsche Zeitung was even more direct, dominated Europe's newspapers after the meeting, describing the meeting as 'The Summit apportioning the blame to everyone but their own national ofthehelpless'.ltwenton to compare the event to a Greek tragedy,' with each representatives. character singing his (or her) own dirge'. The Dutch press were almost unani­ it observed. The Flemish press took a The Frankfurter Rundschau spoke of mous in describing the Summit as a slightly different line. 'the agricultural market monster in the complete failure, blaming a combina­ NieuweGids blamed the stalemate on ruins ofAthens', and the GeneralAnzei­ tion of British demands, the North­ the CAP, while De Morgen resorted to ger described it as 'a black day for the South divide and economic pressures in the more colourful metaphor of 'Europe spirit ofEurope'. all the member states. Trouw described drowning in the milk lake'. De Stan­ the British attitude as one of 'under­ daard said that Mrs Thatcher had 're­ In Denmark, Information set the standable self-interest'. But NRC jected the ultimate compromise' and Het tone with the headline 'Total fiasco in Handelsblad;s EEC correspondent said Laatste Nieuws thought that, given the Athens: the Summit ended without a that the 'intransigent and dawdling circumstances, the European Parlia­ communique'. In a front-page leader it stance of the British delegation sub­ ment would reject the 1984 budget. told its readers that 'the EC looks more ordinated other issues'. Algemeen Dag­ and more like a bankruptcy case in blad observed that the EC seems to be The West German press greeted the which the bankrupts are arguing about being'deliberatelydemolishedbyEurop­ failure ofthe Summit with near univer­ who is going to pay the bill'. Jyllands­ ean leaders, and expressed sympathy sal dismay. The FrankfurterAllgemeine Postenhoped that 'the failure would be a fortheEuropeanCommission.Financiele Zeitung led with the headline 'European turningpointfortheEC-otherwisethe Dagblad partially attributed the Sum­ Summit in Athens wrecked-not a sing­ Community- like the Acropolis- will mit's failure to the confusion caused by le question successfully answered'. It become a memory of something that Greece's attempts to break the deadlock went on to describe Chancellor Kohl's once existed'. Trade and Economy criti­ over agriculture by presenting anew set 'bitter disappointment' and noted that cised Mrs Thatcher as 'unyielding' and of proposals. drastically different from this was the first time that the European Politiken described the affair as 'Thatch­ those prepared by the Commission. Council had been unable to find a com­ er versus the rest', going on to describe promise, Another story assessed the out­ the crisis as 'self-made'. Berlingske The Luxembourg papers firmly come of the Summit under the headline Tidende on the other hand, led with the placed the blame for the Summit's fail­ ure on the short-sightedness of Euro­ pean leaders. Almost all of them quoted Commission President Gaston Thorn at length. TheLuxemburger Worttook the Thorn line that the stalemate had more to do with 'the procedures and entren­ ched attitudes of the Summit than the working of Europe'. The Republicain lorrain took a similar view, observing: 'One thing is certain and has been con­ firmed by this Summit: the inefficiency of the European Council in its existing form'. The Journal asked if the Com· munity was 'finished', but concluded that ways out ofthe crisis did exist. The Republicain lorrain described the :finan­ cial bickering in Athens as 'pathetic'. In an editorial it commented that 'we all seem to have forgotten that Europe has become an absolute necessity'.

InBelgium,LeSoirsfrontpagerana cartoon of President Mitterrand and Mrs Thatcher throwing churns of milk over each other. 'Europe has lost its ideal and the means to achieve it,' said the paper. But La Libre Belgique thought that the crisis could be 'a salutory ex­ perience' and might be preferable to 'burying one's head in the sand'.LePeu­ ple observed in an editorial that 'every­ body will lose from the affair'. La Cite said that the crisis was predictable. 'Advances are not made emoti()nally, but by responding to national interests,' Glum faces atthe Summit. 'A dream divided,' said the Daily Mirror.

(ii) lj!l!lll!lii! f f]Jtr"lli 1!•1 Hi"l - •• I 111111111111 IUJ!M. j EURO FORUM view 'A crisis, yes - but not a catas­ trophe'. Borsen agreed that it was 'the worst crisis ever' for the Community, but saw some hope in the fact that 'ev­ erybody declared themselves willing to contribute to a solution of the serious problems'.

The Irish Times said that 'Total fail­ ure of the Athens Summit has plunged the EEC into its deepest crisis fortwo de­ cades. It faces near certainty ofrunning outofmoneynext year and into paralys­ ing deadlock that will jeopardise expan­ sion into new policies and enlargement to include Spain and Portugal'. The pap­ er went on to claim that the European Parliament 'will probably reject the 1984 budget in protest'. Other Irish coverage was more optimistic, noting that failure to reach agreement at the Summit means a temporary respite from the threat of a 'super-levy' on sur­ plus milk production.

TheGreekpresstookthelinethatthe crisis was partly due to British intransi­ gence, and partly due to reluctance by the rich northern countries to finance thier poor southem neighbours. Ethnos said that Mrs Thatcher had 'torpedoed the Summit,' Uradyni said that she had 'blocked all decisions', and Eleftheroty­ pia described her position as one of'your money or your life'. Both Ta Nea and EleftheriGnomi, however, concentrated on 'flagrant blackmail exerted by all j;he rich countries' (by not giving Greece more money.) 'The EEC wants to keep the South in poverty,' claimedEleftheri Gnomi, quoting Mr Papandreou's con­ Outside, demonstrators took the opportunity ofvoicing grievances over Cyprus. demnation of the larger member states. But not everybody was pessimistic. The French papers tended to portray were responsible for the deadlock. Kathimerini ran a headline 'Stalemate the outcome as a 'stalemate' rather than 'European Community leaders does not mean the end of the EEC'. The a 'fatality'. Le Monde typified the yesterday retreated from the most com­ Communist paper Rizospastis, howev­ approach by looking ahead to the budget prehensive failure in the history ofEEC er, took the opportunity to exhort the negotiations that will resume under the Summits', said the Financial Times. government to quit 'the Community's French presidency of the Council of The Telegraph headline quoted Mrs carcass'. Ministers after January. Liberation Thatcher-:- 'Nothing is decided'- but observed that it will be 'up to France to British papers were nearly unanimous In Italy, the Corriere della Sera's put the pieces ·back together again'. La in their support for her stand. The Times headline 'A failure for Europe' summed Croix said that it was difficult to associ­ said that 'the largest share of responsi­ upthereaction,oftheltalianpapers. The ate the 'derisory haggling' of the Sum­ bility must be home by Mr Mitterand, story went on to note that this was the mit with the fate of hundreds of who suddenly abandoned positions :first time no communique had been thousands of farmers. Le Matin and a which had been regarded as holding the issued at the end of a Summit. Like the number of other papers used their edito­ key to compromise, and to a less than . Greeks, the Italians emphasised the rials to bemoan the fact that Europe no forceful Greek presidency'. Support also North-South divide. Il Sole said that the longer appears to have a voice in world came from the popular press. Most bla­ Community had 'foundered on national affairs, referring to 'the end of a certain tant was the Express, which ran a story self-interest in Athens'. La Repubblica idea of Europe'. Liberation took up the 'Maggiede Gaulle-leaderwithcourage said that Europe was going to pieces, theme, talking about 'geopolitical de­ to save Europe'. The Mail took a similar and in an editorial entitled 'In the name valuation of Europe'. Le Matin saw the line, with 'One fight Maggie has got to of the mule', attacked the stubbornness failure to reach agreement primarily in win'. (The previous day it published a of European leaders. Il Messagero said · terms of a Thatcher-Mitterrand con­ two-page feature entitled 'You must be that ·Europe was 'on its knees', and Il frontation, and ran a headline 'Iron mad, Monsieur', attacking President Tempo shared the view, again blaming Lady-Marble Man'. Most other papers Mitterrand's proposals on agriculture.) national self-interest and myopic lead­ shared theL'Humaniteviewthata com­ The Mirror editorial was far more res­ ership. Most of the papers held Britain binationofMrsThatcher'sdemandsand trained, sadly referring to 'A dream di­ largely responsible for the crisis. Chancellor Kohl's support for them vided'.

(ill) .,..~"~..,...... ~~~""' ...,.,- =-"'""~-~--~·...,...,..,.- ~ '"""'""'- ~,..-,~--~~"""' ...... ~~~ ...... EUROFORUM EUROPEAN REVIEW

national level. More funds for UK In addition to simplifying and speed­ Safety at sea ing up customs and police formalities at The Community is to make a further airports, Mr Hoffman thinks the EC foundation proposed financial contribution of195.561 policy should abolish the relative differ­ million ECUs (about£113 million) to ences in status of airport staff and de­ Greece's strong, ages-old seven infrastructure programmes velop the infrastructure to provide connection with shipping and the in the United Kingdom. On behalfof public transport connections between sea may appear in modern guise if the Commission, Antonio Giolitti airports and neighbouring towns. Parliament's Transport Committee has just signed a decision to this gets its way. They are proposing effect under the supplementary that the Community's newest measures infavour of the United member be the base for anew Kingdom. Help for hard-up European Foundation for Safety at Sea. This brings the 1982 figure for the entrepreneurs supplementary measures for the UK to This budget-financed body would be 887.561 million ECUs (about £513 mil­ To help channel finance to young charged with cataloguing, examining lion). The total since the measures were growth industries, 35 European and conducting research on safety at instituted in December 1980nowstands venture capital companies decided sea; devising safety strategies for inter­ at 4 129.357 million ECUs, or about inNoV'emberto improve national shipping; creating proposals £2,386 million. international co-operation by for Community policy in the field; and At the same time, seven earlier deci­ founding the European Venture conducting advanced training courses sions of March 1983 have been Capital Association (EVCA), with for ships' crews. amended, with changes in the distribu­ the help ofbackingfrom the According to MEP Konstantinos tion ofgrants amongtheregionsand the European Commission. Kaloyannis, inadequa~ safety training specialmultiannual programmes for in­ is one of the major dangers involved in frastructure investments in the UK The new group hopes to encourage sea transport, along with theoldageand basedontheexpenditureactuallyincur­ venture capital companies to take equi­ 'extremely low standard' of structural redbytheauthoritiesfortheseprogram­ ty stakes in new companies. across safetyinmanyvesselsandthefactthata mesin the UK's financial year 1982183. national borders within the EC, a prac­ large number ofcountries do not respect tice stW in its infancy in Europe. existing international shipping conven­ One of the main aims of the EVCA is tions. Easier air travel? to encourage the establishment and de­ The foundation is needed, says Mr velopment of small and medium sized Kaloyannis, because the EC has a large European air travellers have a enterprises which have significant number of recommendations and direc­ friend in Karl-Heinz'Hoffman. He is growth potential in terms of products, tives &n safety and pollution of the sea, calling for a Community airport technology or businessconceptsandser­ but nobody, except the Commission, to policy, with an overall plan to speed vices. coordinate them. inter-regional movements of Unlike the United States, Europe passengers, mail, and cargo, while lacks the large numbers of entre­ reducing noise and protecting the preneurs willing to go it alone with new :riatural environment at the same technology, and theEVCAhopesto help time. fill this gap. On your bikes MrHoffmaniscallingontheCommis­ According to Raymond Appleyard, sionandmemberstates to collaborate in Commission director general for the in­ The bicycle should now play its full drawing up a plan that identifies cur­ formation market and innovation, 'the role in the European Community, rent short-comings, avoids investment educatio:rlal system needs to be gradual­ says the president ofthe Danish imbalances, and enables airports to be lychangedandmoreemphasisplacedon Cyclist Union, Peter Elming, after developed in a coordinated fashion 'with business edl,J.cation.' the setting up of the European due regard to the most rational use of The Commission is helping with the Cyclist Organisation. space possible'. starting costs oftheEVCA, whose mem­ Airports generate investment and ber companies have already cuiTent 'Until now the EC has mainly dealt employment, but should· achieve portofolio investments worth 1.5 billion with motor vehicles, and the bicycle has 'genuine financial autonomy' - an ECUs. been neglected,' he says. 'Several prop­ essential for fair competition, he says. Mr Appleyard, who played a key role osals have been made by ECO to the Thus he wants all forms ofstate aid and in preparatory work over the past six­ European Parliament, including an ex­ subsidy to airports made public. teen months on the establishment ofthe tension of cycle paths all over Europe Furthermore, Mr Hoffman says such new .association, commented ·after the and for more uniform regulations about an airport policy should not require an launch that EVCA should be able to fill carrying lamps on the bicycles, for ex­ additiQnal EC expenditure, since re­ 'the need for reciprocal information and ample. sources for development and assistance advice'. 'There are Member States, which already exist in the European Regional Further information onEVCA can be have no regulations for bicycles and we Development Fund and airports' finan­ obtained from Philippe Roelandt, llF feel the EC should take this up. Re­ cial problems ought to be solved at Clos de Parnasse, 1050 Brussels. sponse so far has been positive.'

(iv) rEUROPE84

and European unity among local authority women in local government, it did give representatives - decision makers who could women decision-makers a chance to discuss Women in local take the message back to their councils? the contribution women can make to peace. And yet the conference title, Towards the The familiar divisions on nuclear disarma­ government meet Renewal of European Society, rankled. ment were evident. Senator Giuseppe Petrilli, Furthermore, the conference organisation, PresidentoftheEiu-opeanMovement, argued on the plenary session format (understand­ from the platform that the European nations in Pisa- by one able enough, because of the need for simul­ must break away from the 'warfare culture' taneous translation), did not lend itself easily and unite for peace. 'Only a federal Europe who was there to a free exchange ofideas. will enable us to find new solutions - to base Once the ice had been broken, the sharing safety on peace, not peace on safety,' he said. onference in Pisa in November for and learning which delegates had hoped for Eleni Papadopoulou, from Keratsini in women in local government in the began to happen. Language barriers in infor­ Greece, doubted whether a united Europe in European Community gave local mal discussions seemed a whole lot less for­ itself could be a force for peace. Doreen Flem­ authority councillors and officers midable with good will-and with the unstin­ ing,fromtheAssociationofDistrictCouncils, from Europe a rare opportunity to meet and tingly willing help of Louise Richards, of chairing the session on peace and a united discuss common problems and goals. It NALGO's International Department. The Europe, said that the conference could not was organised in collaboration with the hospitality of the Province of Pisa melted take a standforoneside ortheotherin the nuc­ European Commission by the Council of whatever chill remained. At a dinner in typical lear arms debate, but that, in the Council of European Municipalities, the European Tuscan style, delegates uninhibitedly burst European Municipalities, 'a united Europe is Movement, and the Province ofPisa. into national silng and dance: the Brits let their our way of saying "peace".' Making arrangements to attend a three-day hair down with 'Knees up Mother Brown'. Despite the misunderstandings about the conference would present problems for most But the favourites of the conference were aims ofthe conference, its achievements were women. With only ten days' notice; for the women from Greece and Spain, so recently real enough. The British delegates came away women in local government with ward re­ restored to democracy. For socialist dele­ with a better understanding of the issues that sponsibilities and committee meetings as well gates, there was a special reception and wel­ unite and divided them from women in local as family commitments to fit in, it might have come from the Secretary of the Italian Social­ government in Europe, and with a determina­ seemed impossible. The selection ofUK dele­ ist Party, who charmed everyone with gifts of tion, in Frances Morrell's words 'to do it gates was in no sense democratic: Malcolm red carnations and commemorative medals. again, and do it beter'. Taylor,fromtheLondonofficeofCEM,faced If the conference was not so much about MORAGALEXANDER with the task ofputting togethere a delegation in a matter of days, consulted the local author­ ity associations and trade unions and con­ tacted individuals directly. The result was a delegation of nineteen, mostly elected mem­ How they brought the CFP into port bers but including three women from NAL­ GO and one local authority officer. n a newly-published and well-researched tooknearlytenyearsofoftenbitterhagglingto The UK delegates wanted to learn from, book* Michael Leigh demonstrates that achieveareasonablyequitablepolicy covering and share with other European women, their theachievementoftheCommonFisheries catch quotas, establishment of 12 mile exclu­ experience of encouraging women to get in­ I Policy in January 1983 was a case study of sive limits, and accepted conservation mea­ volved in local politics and in developing posi­ conflicting national interests gradually merg­ sures. tive action policies. They had hoped for an ingintoanintegratedCommunitypolicy. The To the non-specialist reader, the fascina­ opportunity to see how the role of women in process took nearly a decade, and the fishing tionofMr Leigh's bookishisdetaileddescrip­ local government in Britain compares with issue lost Norway- and, much later, Green­ tion of how the contending parties behaved that ofEuropean women. In Britain, less than land - to the Community. However, com­ during the negotiations, and the role played 20 per cent of councillors are women; and monsense and external pressures finally won by the Commission and the other Community among senior officers in the 52 I local author­ the day. institutions-plus the fact, as the third largest ities, there is only one woman chief executive. When the Community was founded in fishing region in the world, member govem­ Although the great majority of delegates 1958, fisheries were not at issue among the mentsalsohadtotakeaccountofinternational from all countries were local councillors, the Six; but bythetimeofenlargement in the early competitive pressures in the fishing industry. emphasis was on European unity and on the Seventies, the situation had changed. The Strident self-interest gradually began to mel­ elections to the European Parliament, which 'cod wars' with Iceland, the extention of ex­ low to the realisati9n that, to face these press­ will take place in June. Perhaps this should clusive fishing zones, overfishing, and lack of ures, it was in the interests ofall to act together not have surprised the British women as much proper conservation, were becoming matters as one rather than continue their internal as it did: the bodies sponsoring the conference of concern. The expected advent of Britain, quarrels. are all more pro-European than Britain, and, Ireland, Norway and Denmark-all with im­ Thus, though the fishing industry accounts indeed, than most of the EEC member states portant fishing industries - to the Commun­ for only 0.12 per cent of the Community's ac­ except Italy. ity, created a sudden unanamity among the tive population and 0.6 per cent of its GDP, What is more, the Commission has a con­ Six. evolution of the CFP makes an excellent case siderable reputation in the field of equal On 30 June 1970, the day accession negotia­ study of the way the Community works, pro­ rights, having done more to promote equality tions opened 'in Luxembourg, they viding an example, as Mr Leigh puts it, of for women than any ofthe member states indi­ announced their own CFP, which included tangible integration by the indirect functional vidually. Its achievements, the aims of its the principle that access to and exploitation of route., Member countries often end up per­ ActionProgramme,andtheimportanceofthe the Community's fishing grounds were to be forming their duties under the Treaties less work of the European Parliament's Commit­ based on non-disciminiatory rules. from Community-mindedness than from the tee of Enquiry into the situation of women in In the event Norway, influenced by its calculation that such behaviour will serve Europe were set out by Sarah Evans, from the powerful fishing industry, refused. The other their interests. Commission's office in Brussels. Who can three, despite reservations, accepted the PEGGYCRANE blame the Commission ifthey took this oppor­ situation, partly in the belief that the policy *Europ1U!11lntegrazion and the Common Fisheries Policy tunity to raise the profile ofthe Euro-elections could be changed once they were in. But it by Michael Leigh. Croom Helm, £17.95. 13 EUROPE84 Are we doing enough to help the children?

Economic pressures-and nationalistic attitudes­ threaten the Commission's plans in the education area. IAN MURRAY , the Times correspondent in Brussels, sends this report

fall the statistics which pour out of the services of the European Commission, there is one which 0 never fails to shock. It comes out every month, and in recent years it has grown persistently all the time. It is the figure which shows how many young people under the age of 25 are out of work in the Community. At the latest count it was S million and rising. The majority ofthose are kids who have left school and never known the pride of picking up a wage packet. This cruel economic fact has increasingly concentrated the minds of Community minis­ ters. It is the sort of statistic which brings down governments and damns politicians. It is a problem on a scale which demands atten­ And so it is that it has now become formal education policy. These are: helping in the tion, and which positively insists that every policy within the Community to try to inte­ transition from school to working life; co-ordinated effort should be tried to elimin­ grate new information technology into the reaching and learning foreign languages; the ate it. school system. It is an idea which ought to education of migrants and their families; This fact was recognised last summer, when have been approved years before; but the fact higher education policy. the first-ever joint council of Labour and that it has at last been done ought to give Eurydice has a fast-growing data base, Education ministers met in Luxembourg to Europe the chance of catching up in this area which enables the policy makers in member try to agree on ways in which schooling could of the future. states to compare notes on the different educa­ fit a child for work rather than for the dole The first feelers are going out now, to pool tional strategies elsewhere in the Community. queue. It was one of the more harmonious the experience within member states on how By drawing on the wealth of European educa­ meetings that the troubled Community has to introduce new technology into schools. The tion experience it is possible, for example, to ever known. With no hesitation at all, the aim is not only to use it in teaching but for tailor language courses to meet the real needs ministers agreed that, in furure, three-quar­ vocational and advanced training. The Com­ of employers. ters of the money available to the Commun­ mission is to give the whole project financial Eurydice was the brainchild of the educa­ ity's job-creating social fund should be used help and impetus by organising exchange tion ministers during the more affluent and specifically to help the youngsters train for a visits, particularly for teacher training. idealistic mid-Seventies. Education formed real job. The Community already has its own no part of the Treaty of Rome as such, and it Allocating the money was the easy bit. teaching co-ordinating computer network, was not until 1976, after 18 months of work, More difficult was identifying just where the called Eurydice. This started work in 1980 that a seven-point programme for Commun­ money should be spent in order to train people and was given the task of underpinning the ity action in the education field was adopted. to do something which was economically use­ main education action programmes of the Much of that action programme is still await­ ful. The one area where all agreed more must Community. Its four initial tasks show the ing real action. Eurydice apart, there has been be done was in training for new technology. priorities given by the Community to its little more than token work to bring about the 14 EUROPE84 'Charity begins at home-and there has been little money or time for the more generous schemes'

kind of co-ordination and co-operation envis­ aged as necessary to bring about greater Euro­ pean understanding. The problem has been that, increasingly, the Community effort has had to be channel­ led into what was, in 1976, only the seventh listed point in the action programme-prepar­ ing young people for a working life and giving schoolleavers a better chance of employment. The mere fact of falling on hard times has tended to make the members of the Commun­ ity more nationalistic. Charity begins at home; and there has been little money or time g for the more generous exchange schemes and z 6-, co-operation programmes that were being z w considered a decade ago. (Q The nationalistic spirit has also made it more difficult to spread the essen tiallanguage education institutions, whereby students training which would be so important a part of are exchanged for integrated periods of increasing Community understanding. In More grants this study and staffmembers are assigned the turn, this has slowed down efforts to obtain task of teaching integrated parts of the mutual recognition of certificates and diplo­ year for higher parme,r institutions' courses. At the end mas - an essential prerequisite for the free of 1983, 149 grants of this kind were movement of labour, which is meant to be one education announced by the Commission- 50 per of the cornerstones of the common market. cent more than in any previous year -out Lip-service, at least, is still paid to the old a total of222 applications. Of these, 66 idealism. Last June, the European summit schemes have been awarded to completely new agreed the text ofwhat was called 'a solemn de­ joint programmes not hitherto in receipt claration on European Union'. Among its Over 400 grants were announced in ofCommission support, the remaining 83 many clauses were the calls for 'closer co-op­ December by the Commission for higher being earmarked for further support to eration between establishments of higher education institutions seeking to programmes commenced with the education, including exchanges of teachers cooperate with parmers in other member Commission's help in preceding years. and students . . . and development of the states. Several member states' institutions teaching oflanguages of the member states'. The Education Ministers of the Ten, received more JSP grants last year than These are almost identical to two of the meeting in Luxembourg on 2 June 1983, ever before. Greek institutions more than seven points for action agreed seven years ear­ bad stressed the need for continuing the doubled their previous best performance. lier. The need to go on repeating them is a fair Commission's grant schemes, with a view Belgian, French, German and British indicator that these ideas have yet to become to further intensifying cooporative links institutions have also been particularly normal practice. The good intentions are between the Community countries' successful in obtaining support. there, without the means. higher education institutions. The As in previous years, the grants range One place in which the Community has announcement of the new round of across the broad spectrum of subject tried hardest to help with language teaching is Commission grants may therefore be seen areas. Among the grants going to new in dealing with migrants. Some ofthem are re­ as a direct follow-up to the Ministers' programmes, the Natural Sciences (with fugees, like the 8,000 Viemamese in Denmark conclusions. 14 of the 66 awards) and Architecture ( 11 who are currently being taught to speak Dan­ Close on one thousand applications for awards) have fared especially well. ish at the Community's expense. Some of support were received in 1983-the The Commission has announced the them are Community nationals, like the Ita­ highest number since the grant schemes continuation of the grant schemes for lians in Cologne, who are being given the were introduced as part of the 1976 Action Joint Study Programme development, opportunity to train for either Italian or Ger­ Programme in the field of education. In and for Short Study Visits by higher man qualifications. 1983 the Commission was able to award education personnel during 1984. A Dealing with migrants has formed the basis more grants than ever before, due to the document setting out all the details on all of a number of pilot projects which are being consistenteffortsofCouncil and the three schemes, together with the funded and studied by the Commission. From European Parliament. application forms required has been them it is expected much will be learnt on how Probably the best-known of the issued in all the working languages of the best to integrate migrant populations into new Commission's higher education grant Community. T he documents are available surroundings. schemes is that for the development of from the office for Cooperation in From its limited resources, the Commis­ Joint Study Programmes- organised Education, 51 rue de la Concorde, B-1 050 sion has managed to find the money to set up arrangements between specific higher Brussels. joint study programmes in around 400 univer­ sities and higher education colleges. 11 15 EUROPE84 How the Agricultural Fund is helping to drain the Fens

ixteen-foot drain belies its name. JACKWATERMAN carried out important work. So it is perhaps It i.s not, as you might think, a large appropriate that today the European Com­ cylindrical pipe, a part ofurban reports from the heart of munity is making a vital contribution to en­ Asewage works, buried and hidden Lincolnshire, a county suring that agriculture continues in the Fens. from sight. A sixteen-foot drain is a ten­ Since Britain joined the Community in mile straight run ofw ater, between man­ where Community funds are 1973, nearly £2 million has gone in European made banks, hard blue in the winter helping to make good Agricultural Fund grants to maintain and im­ sunlight, decorate'd by swans. farmland out of a prove the land drainage system so important All around is flatness, a landscape bounded to the area. In the region formerly designated by a circular horizon: fat, black acres of waterlogged terrain as East Anglia, the Fenland has benefited in plough, stubble, sedge, root-crops, reed-beds this way by approximately£ 11/z million. The and private fishing notices, and unconcerned rest has gone to Lincolnshire, part of the old lapwings a band's throw away. where King John lost his jewels, including the East Midlands region, where the complex This is the Fen Country of Lincolnshire, English crown (still unfound), and where problems of fen drainage differ from those where drains such as the sixteen-foot-also the Cromwell raised his Ironsides. Also the land farther south. forty-foot, the hundred-foot, and many more of Slodgers and Fen Tigers, men who walked From the Agricultural Fund, in fact, by far - have made agriculture possible, and where on stilts, wore eelskin garters above their the biggest single grant in East Anglia, repre· the eyes of anyone viewing them are well be­ knees against rheumatism, gathered their senting 18 per cent of the total direct agri­ low the level ofthe sea, which lies all too close. corn from platforms and fruit from boats, and cultural aid to the region, has been £824,151 The Fens comprise a huge wedge-shaped for centuries counted themselves separate towards a scheme south west of the little town tract of England, from near Lincoln 50km from the rest ofEngland. of March in Cambridgeshire. It represents a · eastwards to the coast, and from the same Today, it raises root crops, potatoes, sugar substantial and essential contribution to point 115km through Peterborough and beet, onions and bulbs near Spalding on land underpinning the future of farming over a H untingdon to Cambridge. Thence 55km recovered from what was once an inland wide area nearby. north east to Kings Lynn, and the rest of the swamp. But even today has its own secret This complex and ambitious scheme, the perimeter 40km of marshland skirting the separateness. total cost of which amounts to more than £5 Wash into which the great rivers ofthe region, The Romans were the first to carry out work million, has involved the building of a large the Great Ouse, Nene, Welland and Witham on sea defences and drainage in the Fens. new pumping station. In addition to much empty. Much later, in the 17th century, came the other work, now all but complete, it imple­ This is the land of Hereward the Wake, Dutch engineer Cornelius Vermuyden, who ments an ingenious plan for getting water away from the area and relieving the threat of flood. The Middle Level Commissioners, a body responsible for the arteriesofland drain­ age (as against numerous smaller individual drainage boards who are responsible for the 'veins') in the area, and which administers a total catchment of70,000 hectares, designed and supervised the Scheme with their own engineering staff. Chairman of the Middle Level Commis­ sioners is John Childs, who also farms 500 acres in the area near Chatteris. He describes the project as by far the biggest and most im­ portant scheme of improvement in the entire Fens for half a century. In the Middle Level offices in March, he, and Graham Clemmow, Engineer to the Commissioners, explained why the new Middle Level Scheme was so im­ portant and necessary. One of their fun­ damental problems - affecting the Fens in general, but the Middle Level area in particu· tar-arises, paradoxically, out of the very pro­ cess of drainage and land reclamation. The peat on which the Fen agriculture is founded is steadily shrinking, like a drying-out sponge. In the Middle Level area, at Holme Fen, in 1851, an iron post from the Great Exhibition was sunk upright in the peat, with its top level with the ground. This was replaced in 1963 by another cast iron post accurately set to the ori- 16 EUROPE84

Lincolnshire's fen country: 'the peat is steadily shrinking'. ginallevel of the first. Today, that post stands widening of channels; the provision of a new more than 13 feet above the level of the 'Unless something 12km catchwater drain round the 'highland' ground. In other words, most of the area is was done, farming in fringe; and, very imponant in ensuring the now a long way below sea level: hence the task the area would soon newly boosted flow is controlled and sent out of getting Fenland water into the sea is one seawards instead of re-circulating, an isolat­ which gets harde.r by the year - and never have become ing sluice, together with flood storage and a ends. intolerable' control sluice to regulate the 'highland' flows. In 1844, to provide an improved gravity This provides a particularly happy ending outfall, the Middle Level Drain was excavated to the story. The area in which floodwater is to to connect the area with a point about 14km bestoredis the Wood Walton nature reserve, a down the River Ouse at St Germans, where grateful to the Middle Level commissioners, 208 hectare tract of fenland as it used to be in tidal levels were up to 2.5 metres lower than and the grant from the EEC has given us more the J7th century, a place of rare beauty and those at the existing outfalls, and that is than breathing space.' even rarer flora and fauna. Here has been re­ where, ever since, water from the Middle A tour of the work done shows why the far­ introduced, in another example of European Level area has been discharged to the sea. mers are enthusiastic. Without going into the co-operation, the Large Copper butterfly. But is has been a battle, fought by the Mid­ immensely complex technical details, the This native of the fenland was extinct in the dle Level commissioners, who became a sepa­ scheme has provided at a cost (after inflation) last century owing to the misguided enthu­ rate body created by Act of Parliament in of just over £1 million, a large booster pump­ siasms of Victorian collectors; it was re-intro­ 1862. By the 1920s gravity drainage was no ing station on the stretch of water known as duced from Holland in 1927. longer sufficient to protect the shrinking fens Bevills Learn (a marvel of automation and Here also are a herd of Chinese water deer, from flooding, and an impressive pumping telemetry linked to taped voice recordings, dragonflies and damselflies, the marsh carpet station had to be built at St Germans, with and the trying of five successive vital tele­ moth, snipe. Long-eared owls, real, and 60 three 1000 hp pumps, room for a fourth, and phone numbers in emergency). The capacity varieties ofbirdlife, as well as the very rare fen gravity drainage still used when Ouse water of the station is geared to that of the down­ violet and fen woodrush. The nature reserve levels allowed. stream drainage by regulating flows from the will be a beneficiary of the scheme, assured of Without thegrantitisdoubtful whether the 'highland' brooks in the west of the catch­ water to maintain its habitat. scheme could have gone ahead; as it is, far­ ment. Among its trees also are many nightingales. mers in the area are under no illusion as to the Water levels can now be lowered over the One of them, apparently, sang throughout the debt to the EEC in tipping the balance. years as necessary within the boosted area opening ceremony last May, when the Bevills John Bliss, another Middle Level commis­ without disturbance of the downstream sys­ Learn Pump House was opened by the Minis­ sioner and farmer says: 'We would have been tem. The problem of increasing run-off has ter of State for Agriculture and Fisheries, in very grave trouble, and the scheme came been eliminated and a long term solution to Lord Ferrers. There could hardly have been a just in time. It has saved us already on two the problem of peat shrinkage in the south­ more appropriate comment on the promise of occasions. But the EEC grant was the deciding west provided. the scheme for the future. But on that, the factor in making it possible.' In addition, and essential to the scheme, final word must rest with Bill Bedford. He Bill Bedford, too, who farms with his son have been the up-rating by an extra 200 tonnes says: 'This is something Fenland will never Stuart: 'I've farmed here for forty years; the a minute of one of the St German's pumps; ever forget. I believe its a scheme that will last land is now 40 inches lower than when I first raising, strengthening, and 'clay-puddling' for a hundred years. I've been told I'm ex­ started- and this is a terrific scheme. We're to arrest seepage, of banks; deepening and aggerating, but I believe itto be true.' eft 17 EUROPE84

when it excluded domestic em­ The proposed directive, which ployees from the law. would increase freedom of move­ Let's switch As far as discrimination against ment inside the Community, is par­ men was concerned, the Court said ticularly welcome in the light of to shift work that adverts for 'Female Compan­ Spanish and Portuguese mem­ ions' and 'Chambermaids' were bership and renewed interest in the both 'sexist' and worthy of' the Eng­ Channel T unnel. -lvor land of Dickens', not the 1980s. On the issue of male midwives, the Court ruled that the UK should Richard allow anyone with adequate quali­ European Commission proposals fications to undergo training for the for a framework policy to reduce job, whether male or female. and reorganise working time in Europe could help employees on shift work, according to social Control arms affairs and employment commissioner lvor Richard. Tax relief exports, says A reorganisation of working time to include a fifth shift is one way in for migrant which the proposals might help the report estimated 20 per cent of employees The Political Affairs Committee in the secondary and tertiary sectors workers? ofthe European Parliament has who currently work shifts, he says. Two million Europeans who live called for a set of rules governing Concern about the social impact and work in other EC countries the export of arms from the EC of shift work has been growing in should get a fairer tax deal under Protecting countries to the Third World, Europe since the publication ofa re­ new proposals just published by which would restrict the sale of port last year by the Dublin-based the European Commission. kids from certain weapons to certain European Foundation for the Im­ The last Commission attempt at countries. provement of Living and Working tax reform was launched in 1979. France, Italy, the United King­ Conditions. Although approved by the Euro­ poisons in dom and the Federal Republic of pean Parliament and the Economic Germany are the 3rd, 4th, 5th and and Social Committee, it still re­ 6th largest arms exporters in the quires approval by the Council of the home world, after the United States and Ministers. Legislation to force the Soviet Union. 76.5 per cent of Migrant and cross-frontier work­ manufacturers ofhou sehold French and Italian, 81.7 per cent of ers, described by a Greek Euro-MP products to use child-resistant British and 37.6 per cent of German as 'the firstcitizensofEurope', must containers could save thousands exports go to the developing coun­ be given the right to move freely in ofc hildren from accidental tries. the Community - a fundamental pOisoning, according to the Nearly half of all Third World freedom guaranteed by the Treaty Belgian Socialist MEP Marijke arms imports are destined for the of Rome. Van Hemeldonck. Midd1e East, 17 per cent for the Far The proposal would mean that In a report for the European Par­ East, 9.2 percent for North Africa, 9 people who live in one country and liament's Committee on Public per cent for Southern Africa, 9 per work in another (of which there are Health and Consumer protection, cent for South America and 6.4 per about 200,000) would be taxed in Ms Van Hemeldonck said that the cent for Southern Asia. their country of residence on the in­ European Commission should The report, which was compiled come that they earn across the bor­ amend existing European Direc­ by British European MEP Adam der. This would mean that they tives on packaging and mount an in­ Fergusson, points to Argentina's Court says would get all the tax reliefs to which formation campaign to alert the role in the Falklands crisis as an ex­ ordinary residents are currently en­ general public to the dangers in­ ample of 'an aggressive totalitarian UKis living titled. volved. state with an appalling human rights Taxation of workers in their In thefirsttenmonthsof 1983, the record', armed by 'at least six EC country of origin is by no means a Poisons Unit of Guy's Hospital in member states'. 'in the age new idea. It already exists in the London recorded 3192 cases ofchil­ The Argentine armed forces in­ form of bilateral agreements be­ dren who had swallowed phar­ cluded aircraft and helicopters from tween Belgium and France, Bel­ maceuticals and household pro­ France, Italy and Britain; missiles of Dickens' gium and the FRG, France and the ducts. In 1981 the Belgian Anti­ from France and Britain; two sub­ The United Kingdom will have to Federal German Republic, and Bel­ Poison Centre received an average of marines from the Federal Republic apply equal treatment to men and gium and the Netherlands. SO calls a day relating to children. of Germany; two destroyers from women at work, under a recent The new system is designed to re­ Over 46 per cent of the accidents Britain; and an aircraft carrier from European Court ofJu stice ruling. medy the numerous injustices of the were caused bypharmaceuticalsand the Netherlands, in addition to The Court says that the British past suffered by non-residents. It 27.7 per cent by household pro­ weapons from the United State.s, government has failed to adjust would maintain the internationally­ ducts. Sirnilarfigureswererecorded Switzerland and Israel, according to British legislation to comply with accepted practice of taxing revenue in Munich, where half ofall calls re­ the Committee. the 1976 European Directive. The in the country in which it is earned, ceived involved children. The report rejects claims that a re­ case went before the Court in May but at the same time would intro­ A French survey in 1979 showed duction in arms sales to the Third 1982, following a preliminary ruling duce conditions to provide equal that most accidents involved com­ World would cost an unacceptable in October ofthe previous year. treatment for residents and non-re­ mon medicines such as tranquilliz­ number of jobs in Europe. The The Euro-judges ruled that non­ sidents. ers, aspirin and cough mixture left armaments industry represents only discrimination laws should apply The Commission proposals around the house. Products pack­ 2. 72 per cent of manufacturing jobs not just to individual contracts, but would also provide tax relief for the aged in eye-catching colours, in­ in France, 2.26 per cent in Britain, also to collective agreements be­ long-term contractual savings of cluding decalcifying agents, 1.33 per cent in Italy and 0.43 per tween unions and employers. non-residents, when they consist of deodorants, bleach, paint and cent in the Federal Republic of Ger­ The U K had also failed to fulfil its life insurance, pension plans and shampoo, also rated high on the dan­ many, it claims. obligations under the Directive, home ownership. ger list.

18 EUROPE84

and treatment of'chronic and costly left before the end says Richard Sim­ cent in 1982 to 10.4 per cent in illnesses'. New genetic techniques monds, the British European September 1983. Europe is can produce hormones and vac­ Democrat MEP who has been asked Inflation, on the other hand, con­ cines, as well as new diagnostic to draw up a report on thesubjectfor tinues to fall. In 1980 the EC average behind in methods. These could soon cut the Parliament's Youth and Culture was 14.3 per cent, compared to 8.2 health spending drastically, accord­ Committee. per cent this year. The decline is ex­ ing to the Commission. The cassette shown to the Parlia­ pected to continue into 1984. the bio­ ment was identical to the one pre­ viously shown to the British House ofCommons, which persuaded it to tech race Tip for pass a bill outlawing such material 'Cut our According to a recent American and imposing heavy fines on distri­ study compiled by the US Office contact lens butors. expenses' ofTechnology Assessment, the TbeUKcurrentlybasmorevideo European countries trail the recorders per bead of population United States and J apan in wearers than any other EC country, and its call biotechnology. T hey are 'pioneering' legislation in the field A Belgian Euro-MP has An Italian Communist MEP has generally not as aggressive, either should be a model for future action condemned the high travel and called for an end to anonymity for industrially or through at European level, according to living allowances paid to himself people who wear contact lenses. government laws and policies, it Richard Simmonds. In his report, and his colleagues as Vera Squarcialupi says that they says. which is due toappearinApril1984, 'unjustifiable'. should carry distinguishing marks The European Commission he plans to ask the European Com­ Socialist Karel Van Miert says for their own safety. shares the view. Despite the efforts mission to draw up proposalsfor'ex­ that MEPs should set an example at After an accident or illness, wear­ of the member states, the results tremely severe penalties' and a time when the economic crisis ing contacts can damage the eyes have been dismal. Europe's trade Europe-wide restrictions. But he means that the vast majority of and she claims even cause ulcers. deficit, its deficit in terms of num­ admits that these might just drive Europeansaresufferingfromadras­ Damage can be avoided ifthe victim bers ofpatents and the exodus ofsci­ distributors underground. tic loss of income. Flat-rate ex­ is immediately identified as a wearer entists, all testify to the weakness of Last March, Christian Democrat penses granted to MEPs should be ofcontact lenses. the industry and the fragmented na­ MEPs led by Wilhelm Hahn tabled a scrapped and allowances should be Commissioner lvor Richard be­ ture ofnational policies. motion calling for the creation of a based solely on what they spend, he lieves that a more discreet solution About 40 per cent of manufac­ European inspectorate composed of says. might be possible. He says the in­ tured products in any industrialised lawyers, civil servants, teachers, formation could be included in country are biological in nature. youth leaders, psychologists, emergency medical cards, which are Biotech's take-off is a powerful in­ psychiatrists and journalists to act as currently used to identify people strument of socio-economic de­ a 'BoardofCensors'forvideocasset­ suffering from serious or chronic velopment, innovation and renew­ tes. The body would have powers to al, particularly in the chemical in­ illnesses. restrict any film dealing with vio­ dustry. Scientific breakthroughs lence, drugs, racial hatred, war and will also have a profound effect on pornography, say the group. health, agriculture and industry. Biotech also has the potential to help the Third World overcome basic food, hygiene and energy problems. The going But the EC countries joined the biotech race late. Competing with will still the Americans and the Japanese is now largely beyond the capability of any single member state. The com­ be tough plex nature of modern biotechnolo­ Animals gy - which includes biochemistry, genetics, microbiology, and phy­ in 1984 siology- means that constant coop­ Europe's economy is on the under the eration is needed between the scien­ mend, but the rate of recovery will ces. Cooperation at Community be 'slow and fragile' and will vary level would clearly help, according in different EC member states, knife to the European Commission. according to the Europe.an A German Socialist MEP has State aids to research and de­ Commission's latest annual called for toughe.r controls on the velopment in the industry - which MEPsare economic report. use of animals for scientific would discourage European firms Gross domestic product (GDP) in experiments in Europe. from making agreements with US shocked by the EC countries will grow by 1.5 Luise Herklotz admits that the and Japanese companies- are cur­ per cent in 1984, compared to 0.5 use of vertebrate animals is 'indis­ rently insufficient and biotechnolo­ per cent this year, claims the report. pensable' to progress in medicine, gy in Europe in trapped in a variety video horror US and Japane.se growth rates are but says that animals are often used of different legislative systems, says expected to be considerably higher even when reliable alternative the Commission. The creation of a and world trade is expected to in­ methods are available. She is also favourable environment, common show crease by 3. 5 per cent next year, it critical of scientists who work with­ to all EC firms, that would protect Senior Scotland Yard officers says. out the use of anaesthetics, particu­ the interests of the producers, is in swooped on the European Rising unemployment has slowed larly when the results of the experi­ the Commission's view, an essential Parliament in Strasbourg to down over the past five months and ment concerned would not be condition for growth. deliver an unpleasant sh ock to is likely tostabilizeatabout 10.6 per affected by their use. The Community plans to play a MEPs in the form of a cassette­ cent of the workforce this year. But The Council of Europe has crucial role in two areas. It will full of 'video nasties'. in 1984 it will increase again to about already launched an initiative to supply European industries with The twenty-two minute showing 10.9 per cent, according to the re­ establish a European Convention on essential agricultural raw materials, shocked Euro-MPs. 'They didn't port. Average annual rates ofunem­ the protection of veruebrate anim­ notably starch from cereals,and will know that such things existed . Ab­ ployment in Europe rose steadily als used for experimental and other also concentrate on the prevention out a third of the audience (of 130) from 7.8 percent in 1981 to9.5 per scientific purposes.

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Re-enter Carmen-a heroine for our time

udden shower of Carmens has fallen An operatic masterpiece by offered by the Bouffes du Nord. It is a small, on Europe. intimate theatre, offering strong, direct, un­ Peter Brook, who used to be the en­ a French composer, on a sentimental experiences to its audience. fant terrible of the British theatre, has Spanish theme, re-staged by Brook from the start wanted to 'make its walls for the last ten years been running a Paris sing' one day, and he certainly does not lack theatre, the Theatre des Bouffesdu Nord. In an Englishman, has been respect for Bizet's music. But he believed he 1981 he produced a concentrated, 80-minute a sensation in Paris and could see how to draw out of it an essential, in­ version of Bizet's opera Carmen there, using a hit on British television. tense truth that he wanted to convey. three different casts, so that he could keep the His collaborator on the plot and the revised production running without a break for six DERWENT MAY tells libretto was j e.an-Claude Carriere, who has months. the story worked with L uis Bunuel on the screenplay of Now he has made three films oflus Tragedy many of his films, including The Discreet ofCamten, as he calls it, recording the diffe­ Charm ofthe Bourgeoisie. Brook's musical col­ rent interpretations of the three casts. All Carmen was set in Spain in 1832, only four laborator was the composer Marius Constant, three films have been showing to packed years after Goya died, and it portrayed a cruel who also conducted the opera. Constant pre­ houses in a French chain of'classic' cinemas; and alien country, characterised (in Goya's pared a kind of chamber-music version of one has been shown on the F rench television words) by 'the sleep of reason'. In Merimee's Bizet's score, with fifteen players each repre­ channel Antenne 2; another has just been story, Carmen is very plainly a witch, a prosti­ senting one of the families of instruments shown in Great Britain on Channel Four; the tute and a thief- even if a proud, brave and found in a full-scale orchestra. He introduced rest of Europe is planning its viewing of these passionate one. Bizet, writing for a Paris audi­ kettle-drums into the music of Carmen's first same works. ence of delicate tastes in 1875, managed to great song, the habaiiera L'amow est un oiseau What has Peter Brook done to Carmen? Is keep intact the free spirit of his heroine, Car­ rebelle, to suggest African drums and the note this just a short, palatable, Reader's Digest men-but he had to soften the lines of the vio­ of 'African gaiety' that Nietzsche found in version of the famous opera? lent, immoral atmosphere in which she lived. Carmen. Constant wanted, he has said, to Nothing could be further from the truth. Brook has restored much of the Merimee 'bare the music to the nerves'. Peter Brook and his colleagues have gone back plot and feeling, and has dropped all Bizet's Brook's Tragedy of Carmen opens, in fact, to the story by Prosper Merimee on which light relief. This approach to the opera is really with a completely African-looking scene. A Bizet's opera was based. That original tale of part and parcel ofthe whole attitude to theatre bent, witch-like figure, hidden under her 20 EUROPE84

tempts Jose to follow her to Lillas Pastia's wildly at him like a bull; but they are parted 'Men come thick and tavern, she mocks him as she goes, deftly lock­ before any more harm is done. And now, for a fast in this, ing him up in the cage-like cell she has herself very briefwhile , Carmen gives herself to Jose. Carmen's world •..' been sitting in. This is a haunting moment offragile happi­ When we next see Carmen she is plainly the ness, in a short work whose speed of move­ thief and prostitute of Merimee's story. She is mentis like a powerful wind offate. The lovers bringing the day's stolen pickings back to the sleep in the gipsy camp, surrounded by gipsy tavern, and there she agrees to go upstairs to spells to protect them; but another character, cloak, is scratching in the sand. When a bed with Jose's officer, Zuniga, who showers not found in Bizet, now appears on the scene­ beautiful young girl comes by, looking for her money over her in a cascade, his is so full of a Garcia, Carmen's husband. Once again, Jose soldier sweetheart-in fact it is Micaela look­ violent, icy passion for her. fights and kills - but meanwhile Carmen has ing for Jose-the crone tries to grab her hand, Unfortunately, Jose arrives while Carmen read the cards again. She turns against Jose, seems to want to tell her fortune. But no soon­ is with Zuniga. They fight for Carmen, and and drives him away from the gipsy camp er has Micaela found Jose than the fortune-tel­ Jose kills the officer. This is the point at which through the snow. ler flings offher cloak, rises to her feet, and re­ I think Brook's version acquires its particular She dies, in the end, at the jealous Jose veals herself as an enchanting gipsy girl-Car­ strength. In Bizet's opera, the sentimental hand, as in Bizet; and, also as in Bizet, she goes men herself. young Jose always seems too pathetic a charac­ on fearlessly asserting her freedom to choose All is swift, swirling confrontation in this ter for the hero. He trails along after Carmen, her way of life before he kills her. But fate version. Carmenimmediately declares herself slipping into his fate. Brook's Jose is also un­ bangs heavier over Brook's ending: Escamillo as Micaela's rival. She has a fight, as in Bizet's worldly and sentimental as a lover, as he must is not triumphant in the bullring, but is killed original version- but here the fight is actually be-a man lost in Carmen's world-but he is a by the bull; while Jose kills Carmen with a with Micaela, and it ends with Carmen fighter, and is trapped in his tragedy by strong heavy-hea.rted, ritual solemnity, as though he slashing the other woman's forehead with a actions rather than weak ones. were merely accepting the role of being the knife. There is no chorus, and so in this first Men come thick and fast in this, Carmen's hand offatehimself. We last see him crouched scene there is none of the background bustle world, and the one who is eventually to take in the sand, waiting for fate to strike in its turn and humour ofBizet (in the new Covent Gar­ her away from Jose, the bullfighter Escamillo, at him. den production, for instance, a live donkey arrives while Zuniga's corpse is still lying in It is not surprising that this rapid-moving, dominates the scene with his stubborness, in the tavern. The single comic scene in Peter relentless tale, abstracting only what it wants the first minutes after the curtain goes up). .Brook's :rragedy follows; and that is a grim one from Bizet's music and leaving so much out, Jose, as in Bizet, falls in love with Carmen, - for Jose and the innkeeper have to hold the should have annoyed many critics. They have and lets her escape when he is required to corpse up and pretend it is a drunken man. Af­ argued that the wealth and amplitude of the guard her as his prisoner. But though Carmen ter that, Jose fights Escamillo too, lunging music is precisely what makes Bizet's opera so much more than a simple., harsh tale. They like the large variations of light and shade in Bizet, the rich changes ofmood , the skill with which such unromantic items as the Seville cigarette factory are brought into Bizet's art. And of course no one would want to lose for ever that scope and spaciousness. But Brook's version ofBizet's classic is un­ doubtedly powerful and coherent. It keeps

'A bitter, ironic note, with fate alone triumphing'

the spectator completely absorbed; and the opera gets extraordinary force out ofthe music it uses. In Bizet, it is true, the joyous note of Escarnillo's triumph in the last act also seems to speak ofCarmen's triumph in asserting her freedom even as she dies; whereas in Brook it is a bitter, ironic note, with even Escamillo, the bullfighter, dead, and fate alone trium­ phing. But Carmen's dignity is, to my mind, even more strongly brought out by the plain recognition of the moral squalor in which she Jives so blithely. Peter Brook has also found some outstand­ ing actors and singers. Certainly few people will forget the first sight of Helene Delavault throwing off the old woman's cloak to reveal herself as Carmen, in the film shown on Inde­ pendent Television's Channel 4. She is perhaps Brook's outstanding discovery - a Opposite: Helime Oelavault, with Howard Hensel as Don Jose, in BBC Carmen always sensual and gay, yet steely and Channel4's production of 'The Tragedy of Carmen' by Peter Brook (above). proud in full heroine's measure. ~ 21 EUROPE84

Gerard Israel, France: the member state concerned. The 'In an article in Le Monde (27 July Commission will ensure that the 1983) Commissioner Pisani, discus­ QUESTIONS member state concerned takes the sing the crises which, according to necessary steps without undue him, Europe has to face up to, men­ IN THE HOUSE delay.' tioned "the hotchpotch of demands from the directly elected European Parliament". Can the Commission­ undertakings, large or small, in the Giosue Ligios, Italy: Willem Albers, Netherlands: er say what demands he was refer­ sector are entitled to denatured con­ 'The Court of Justice of the Euro­ 'Is it true that there are no rules con­ ring to?' centrated butter at a reduced price. pean Communities has recently cerning the sleeping facilities to be Answer by Edgard Pisani on The aid is set in such a way that there issued a ruling 'recognizing that provided for coach drivers, once behalf of the Commission: is no financial discrimination be­ Great Britain, in levying a higher they have been relieved in accord­ 'The article to which the Honour­ tween users of butter and users of rate of excise duty on wine than that ance with legal requirements, when able Member refers was concerned concentrated butter. payable on beer, has failed in its driving long distances? exclusively with issues of agricultu­ The reason for restricting the but­ Community obligations. What And is the Commission aware ral policy. ter subsidy to large firms is the need steps does the European Commis­ that, in certain cases, only a mini­ The Commission would suggest for control. The firms involved are sionintend to take to ensure that this mum amount of space is available in that were the Honourable Member inspected frequently at their own ruling has the desired effect as soon the coach's luggage compartment himself to analyse Parliamentary expense. Similar checks on a very as possible?' for drivers to sleep in the course of proceedings and resolutions he large number of small bakers would Answer by Christopher the journey?' might find that they did not invari­ not be feasible. Tugendhat on behalf of the Answer by Georges Contogeorgis ably reflect perfect consistency on Nonetheless, the Commission Commission: on behalf of the Commission: every issue.' staffarewellawarethat small bakers 'The Court ofJustice having found, 'There are no Community regula­ prefer butter to concentrated butter in case 170/78 (Commission v Un­ tions on sleeping accommodation and they are looking into all possible ited Kingdom), that the United for drivers of coaches. On the Jens-Peter Bonde, Denmark: waysofreconcilingtheneedforcon­ Kingdom has failed to fulfil its second question: Yes, but in view of 'Will the Commission allow ordin­ trol with the bakers' wishes. obligations under the second para­ the many different types ofcoach no ary bakers to buy butter at the same In this connection, the Commis­ graph of Article 95 of the EEC Trea­ overall judgement can be given on price as the biscuit industry?' sion is financing research into possi­ ty, that Member State is now re­ the adequacy of the facilities pro­ Answer by Poul Dalsager on ble methods ofmarking butter. quired, under Article 171 of the vided as compared with alterna­ behalf ofthe Commission: The Commission staff will not be EEC Treaty, "to take the necessary tives. 'The legislation concerning sub­ able to put forward concrete propos­ measures to comply with the judge­ Any future proposal by the Com­ sidisation of butter used in the con­ als on the subject until an effective ment of the Court of Justice". mission in this respect should form fectionery industry limits eligibility control system, whether or not The decision in question was part ofa balanced action programme to undertakings processing at least based on marking, has been de­ handed down only recently, and re­ relating to long-distance coach and five tonnes of butter a month. All vised.' quires changes in the taxation law of coach travel.'

the County Court judge. However, Sabenain­ sisted that the matter should be properly What is freedom of the skies? heard before the High Court. On 14 June, 1983,afteraday'sargumentin e in the Kangaroo Group through litigation. We began by bringing a the High Court, Mr Justice Parker said that believe that European case directly to the European Court of Justice the competition articles of the Treaty might scheduled air fares are too high. in Luxembourg. However, the action was well apply to our case, and that a reference to WWe cannot understand, for inst­ ruled by the judges as inadmissible in May the Luxembourgcourtmighthaveto be made ance why it costs £7 4 to fly one way from Lon­ 1982 on the ground that Freedom ofthe Skies at a future time. He refused our request for an don to Brussels. It would almost be cheaper to had only an indirect interest in the matter immediate Luxembourg hearing. We feel go by taxi. Nor can we accept that a one way under dispute. nevertheless that the judge's remarks about ticket London-Athens should cost £280. In February 1982 we began an action for the merit of our case amount to a significant We believe that the main reason why Euro­ damages against Sabena Belgian Airways in step forward. pean air fares are so high is that the market is the English courts, alleging that Sabena had If, as we hope, thesequestionsareeventual­ dominated by national carriers who fix fares at overcharged by £50 on a ticket London - ly referred to Luxembourg, the judges will be identical levels, after conspiring together to Brussels - London. (This calculation was able for the first time to indicate whether or share the market. The national carriers, we based on the fact that£50 was40 percent ofthe not the anti-monopoly laws of Europe apply say, work together to keep private operators then prevailing return fare of £125 and that and whether or not the national airlines are off the scheduled services, exerting pressure British Caledonian had earlier indicated their breaking these laws. on their governments never to permit an air­ readiness to fly the London-Brussels route at Ifthe judges decide in our favour, it will be line to undercut the fares that they wish to 60 per centofthefare being charged by Sabena the beginning of the end for the present charge. and British Airways.) system of conspiratorial air-tariff fixing by We believe that this is a monopolistic prac­ Inordertosavecost, weaskedforthecaseto national carriers working within the lATA tice which is not only unjust to the consumer, be heard in the County Court and we sought a machinery. We would prefer to settle this but also illegal under European law. reference to the European Court of Justice by matter by negotiation between governments, Article 85 of the Treaty of Rome prohibits but we have despaired of obtaining any satis­ all agreements between undertakings which 1 factory settlement by this means. fix the purchase price, limit or control produc­ National carriers Wefeelthatthelawmusttakeitscourseand tion, share markets or apply dissimilar condi­ exert pressure on that the law is the only weapon which has any tions to equivalent transactions. Article 86 their governments chance of bringing about change. prohibits any abuse by an undertaking of a NICHOLAS BETHELL, MEP dominant position in the Common Market. never to permit an We have therefore decided to seek enforce­ DAcknowledgements to Kangaroo News, ment of the Community's anti-monopoly airline to undercut' published by The Movement for Free laws, not only through negotiation, but also Movement. 22 EUROPE84 letters Best of Leicester I noted with interest your article in the October 1983 issue on the East Midlands. Although I welcome favourable publicity for the region, I do feel that Leicestershire deserved better representation. Ifone looks at indices of industrial success, Leicester­ sbiredoesbetterthanNottingham- shire in a number of areas-for example, it has the best export record in the entire region. I was disappointed that no mention was madeofthedesignationofNorth West Leicestershire under the EEC scheme. With 23.8 per cent of the workforce in that area engaged wjthin mining and quarrying, the prospect of the rundown of the coalfield is very serious. The EEC recognised this last June. Mention of the new potential this scheme offers for providing replacement jobs would have given the area a worthwhile At the opening of the Commission's new London premises in December: boost. Commissioners T ugendhat and Richard with the Head of Office, George Scott. Donald L. Sabey County Hall, Leicester 0 We hope to make a rerum visit to the East 'NEW FUNDS MUST NOT BE SPENT Midlands for a second repon during 1984. ON MORE FARM SURPLUSES' Counting the votes May I point out to you an error in your espite the failure of the European seen, over past weeks, the risk that Foreign November 1983 issue ('Lining up for the Summit at Athens in early December, and Finance Ministers will be tempted to 1984 Euro-elections')? The Conservatives in a solution to the problems facing the abdicate responsibility for taking hard deci­ 1979 won 60 out of81 UK seats on less than Community can and will be found. sions if they know that they can pass the buck SO per cent of the votes cast in the UK. Their DThis was the message delivered by Christ­ to the Summit, even though the latter is far mandate is due therefore to the 'plurality' opher Tugendhat, vice-president of the Com­ less suited to grappling with such technically representation system, not to the votes cast. mission, at the opening in Westminster of the complex issues. In any of the other member countries, the new premises of the London Office of the 'Until a long-term solution is found, the Conservatives' share of the votes would have European Commission shortly before Christ­ Community will have to take tough decisions yielded 30 or 40 seats, due to the more mas. Mr Tugendhat added: in order to live within the resources available proportional systems ofrepresentation used 'My confidence springs from three factors: to it. These will affect both the Common Agri­ outside the UK. first, as a result ofthe failure at Athens to solve cultural Policy and other spending policies, R. D. Knowles the Community's agricultural and budgetary though because of the scale of the Commun­ Dept. of Geography, problems and to face up to the great challenges ity's involvement in agriculture, the consequ­ University of Salford to the West's security in the Lebanon and else­ ences of economies in that sector will be felt where, all governments must realise that the more widely and immediately than in others. In concert credibility of the Community, which is indis­ 'Within the next few weeks the Commis­ Having read the excellent article, 'Three pensable to their economic prosperity and in­ sion will take agricultural measures that fall Baroque Masters', in your October 1983 ternational influence, is being put at risk. within its own area ofdirect responsibility and issue, I was delighted to see that the press 'Second, the progress towards agreement make proposals to the Council for other mea­ services of the Community are contributing which was made between the Summits at sures designed to achieve the necessary econo­ towards making the European public aware Stuttgart and Athens constitutes a foundation mies for 1984. It must also be obvious to all of the fonhcoming European Music Year. upon which I believe it is possible to build a that there is no possibility of across the board What seems to be missing in the introductory long term solution. price increase. paragraph, however, is a reference to the fact 'Third, the success of the Community's 'New resources must not be squandered on that European Music Year is a joint venture Foreign Ministers in reaching an interim solu­ more agricultural surpluses. They must be between the European Communities and the tion to the problem of British contributions used effectively and economically for indust­ Council of Europe. only five weeks after the failure of the Luxem­ rial and technological research and develop­ Thomas Alexanderson bourg Summit in Apri11980should caution us ment, the diversification of our energy sup­ Secretariat General, against reflex pessimism and the abandon­ plies, the tackling of unemployment and re­ Council of Europe, Strasbourg ment ofall hope for the Community. gional problems and other priorities. 'However, iftheCommunity is to resolve its 'It must also be remembered that one of the 0 We are pleased to acknowledge the current problems, it is essential not to over­ most important challenges facing the Com­ Council ofEurope's contribution to this, the load its Summitseitherwith too many issues at munity is the breaking down of trade barriers first enterprise ofits kind carried out jointly once or with excessive technical detail. I have and the creation of a real Common Market.' by the two bodies. 23 EUROPE84

The growth of farm spending has There is little wrong with the treaty Wine has now become firmly Millions of pounds worth of now trapped the Community in a itself, even ifit was drawn up involved in the general agricultural Common Market funds are being place from which escape is quarter of a century ago and signed war between the EEC and the squandered by bureaucratic impossible without somebody only by six of the present ten United States. The abuses of EEC bungling, delays and sheer waste, being hun. Dairy producers are quarrelling and unhappy partners. aid (especially by the Italian co­ according to a report by EEC first in line, since controlling farm It embodies a commitment to the operatives which account for such a auditors. spending means cutting their free movement of labour and a free, high proportion of American In one overseas development incomes hard. unprotected market for industry. imports) has been the subject of a project examined by the auditors Those who will suffer the most And although Article 42 explicity recent and damning study by the the EEC had spent £18 million on a are those who have shown the most exempts agriculture from the rules American department of 48-mile road in the Congo-nine enterprise in increasing their on unfettered competition, it is far agriculture, and a wine war times the original estimate. production in the past two years, in from underwriting the absurdities between the EEC and the United many cases borrowing heavily to thathavesinceensued. States now looks inevitable. -Daily Express build up their herds. Some will be All the immediate problems of forced out ofbusiness. In these budget contributions and - EconolJI.ist circumstances, it isn't surprising unlimited farm support could be Relations with EEC were already that several governments in Athens settled within the rules. The Commission recently funded a bad before the Turkish Cypriots preferred to turn their faces to the The difficulties that must be study in detail of benefits and declared UDI; and yet that move, wall and hope the whole horrible tackled lie elsewhere, in the services in three comparable quickly supported by the Turkish . messwouldgoaway. It won't. institutions which have been set up European cities: Bristol, Rheims Government, appears to have to formulate policy, make the (to the north east of Paris) and passed by relatively smoothly. -Observer necessary decisions, and express Saarbrucken (in the far west corner Greece's unpopularity in the the views of the 272 million citizens of Germany). The study found Commission has worked in who now make up the Common that, in an absolute sense, the poor Turkey'sfavour,accordingto Market. of France are better off than those diplomats in Ankara. Diving suits could well become the -Sunday Times of Britain, and the poor of Germany Yet there are serious continuing fashion among Italian winemakers better off than either. tensions between Turkey and some as the results of 1983's vintage show But British social security seems EEC states, especially France, and a dangerous rise in the level of the to give more protection against the 600m ECU aid under the fourth wine lake. With the harvest now 'extreme need' among, for financial protocol remains blocked completed, and the grapes crushed example, unemployed households. because ofTurkey's bad record on and already fermented, this year's , human rights. wine is submerging cellars in a -New Society -Financial Times further alcoholic flood. Fortunately for the winemakers, 1980's record of86.5 million Attempts to tighten controls on transport of toxic waste across EEC billion bottles) remains unbeaten. • frontiers were practically Nevertheless,whenallthefigures · · ~i abandoned in face ofWest German are added up, a lOpercentincrease ~ opposition yesterday. 2 5 At a meeting of EEC :Jl7o?~::~~~~e~e~~ · Environment Ministers in made in 1982, this year should Brussels, the Germans complained again see production at the 80 that the proposed Common Market million hectolitres mark. rules were much weaker than The long faces worn in Italy's existing national legislation in winemaking industry are due partly . . Germany. Bonn fears that a joint EEC policy could lead to pressure been expenencmg smce the nnd- · . . . for a relaxation ofits own rules. 1970s.Between1960andl972 . · annual production averaged 64 · · · . · -Daily Telegraph million hectolitres. -Guardian The first batch of French longlife milk to arrive in Britain is. unfit to Thanks to Greater Manchester drink. Council pressure in Europe, 27,000 Tests at its storage point in TheWest German Government is adults in the county can look Salisbury, Wilts, showed that water insisting on being given a much forward to a future of reading and had been added. larger slice of the EEC pineapple writing, as well as doing basic A local council spokesman said quota. Instead of the lO,OOOtonnes arithmetic. the added water in the 20,000 litres it currently consumes, it wants at In a bid to boost Greater ofmilk meant it would break the least lS,OOOtonnes. Manchester's adult literacy laws set by two major health acts. France, however, insists in turn campaign, the GMC approached -Sun that the Community can import no the EEC's European Social Fund more than the 28,560 tonnes than last year and came away with £2.7 are allowed at low tariffs from million to be spent on a three-year Mr John Bradbury, who represents Third World countries each year. Adult Basic Skills Scheme spread Britain's major confectionary So Britain was asked to give up a throughout the county. giants, has just had a futile visit to slice of its quota to help satisfy the GMC's initiative means that each Brussels to try to persuade the EEC West German taste. Mr Paul ofthe county's ten districts can to impose quality standards on the Channon, the British Minister, was virtually double what they spend on Greeks, who joined two years ago. having none of it. 'We are fighting equipment, premises, staffand During that time he says, an to keep our quota of pineapple materials in the drive to help 80,000 tonne mountain of slices,' he said. 'We are prepared to various disadvantaged adult groups unwanted Greek sultanas and relinquish some of our quota of play a more useful role in society. currants has grown up. It is now chunks.' being sold off as cattle feed. -TheTimes - Glossop Chronicle The Times -Daily Mail 24