Speaking at the annual symposium of the Buropean Parliamont on November 20th, Dr. Erhard, Gorman Iconomics Minister, attacked the Common Market Commission's recently published action programme. He thought it would load to centralised State planning and would tend to replace the variety of social and economic life in the Community with standardised practices. He was in favour of Duropean integration, but said it should be of a federal type similar to the Fedoral Ropublic of Westorn Germany, in which the states romain separate and partly autonomous,
Replying, Professor Hallstcin, pres ident of the Commission, said the action programme looked forward to a liberalisation of oconomic life by the elinination of national restrictions, and that from its new sphores like agriculture the Common Market would be less intorventionist that tho separate States. He, too, looked forward to a federal typa of Gurope, but the action programme envisaged common policies and not centralised control, for which, in my case, tho Commission had absolutely no legal powors. “i. ., ,, Dre Erhard had criticisod the Common Markct's agricultural policies. Te said it would cause difficulties to third countries, which would accuse Europe of being protectionist. Tho Ministor was in effect cchoing the accusation on. these lines made in Paris Nov 19th by Mr. Orville Frooman, U.S. Secretary for Agriculture. He did not, however, argue that the action programme should be rejected. As might have been expected, he praised the chaptor on measures to onsure free competition saying that they might have beon written by him. COITMNT: Discussiow such as those show that tho £.U.C. has by no means overcome the differences between various capitalist classes.