Prime Minister
May I refer to four principal points.
First, the discussion with which we opened this Council on economic and social affairs, with particular reference to unemployment, I think was the best discussion we have ever had in the Council since I have been a member of it, which is well over five years. It was on an excellent Commission Report on the whole economic and social and unemployment problem, and we could virtually have adopted its conclusions completely. It concentrated on how to create an enterprise culture, how to bring new technology into acceptance among our peoples, how to expand not only the number of enterprises but how to expand unemployment (sic). It was absolutely first class, and I would like to commend it.
Secondly, the main object of this Council was of course to complete negotiations among members of the Council necessary for enlargement and necessary for the detailed negotiations with Spain and Portugal to be completed. As you will have heard from Garret FitzGerald, we completed the wine negotiations, a very considerable achievement on its own. The fish negotiations were confirmed. The industrial tariffs confirmed. We came across one particular problem, namely that although we had agreed those particular Reports, Greece put a reserve on them because she said that she herself could not agree to enlargement because we did not come to what was for her a satisfactory arrangement on Mediterranean products. Nevertheless, as I understand it, the negotiations [end p1] with Spain and Portugal are going ahead on the basis of the things which we have hammered out at this Council, but the final decisions will have to be referred back because of Greece to the Foreign Affairs Council and possibly to a European Council, we do not know which.
So we have got this strange position. We did hammer out the details. We have got a Greek reserve because we were not able to satisfy her expectations on Mediterranean products.
Now the third thing we discussed, briefly, were the long-term Reports on institution changes. We did not get into detail. Those are not only on institutional changes but on things such as the completion of the internal market which is absolutely vital to get. There are a lot of jobs in it. And on reduction of regulations across Europe. Twenty-seven forms to cross some borders for lorry drivers. A lot of jobs in that, because it holds up trade and makes it less competitive. We shall, as you know, come back to that Report. They will continue work upon it until March. It will then be referred to Ministers, but we shall not discuss it in full until June.
The fourth thing to which I would refer is the discussion we had on provision, not only for Ethiopia but for the drought areas in Africa, and as you know, substantial extra provision has been made, though we did note among ourselves that a number of our colleagues and we ourselves have been in the forefront of providing aid to Ethiopia, not only in the amount of grain we have sent, but also in enabling that grain to get to its destination within Ethiopia. We have provided some Hercules aircraft which have been very efficient in delivering the grain from the warehouses to the people who need it. Italy, I understand, has provided planes and lorries, so the whole distribution is going very much better than it was and that perhaps is one reason why the warehouses are now being cleared very quickly and much more efficiently. [end p2]
Those are the four things on which I would like to concentrate at this Council. It has been one which has not been dominated by Britain's budget problem in any way. That is over and sorted out and we did agree some budget discipline resolutions at this Council and so we have been devoting our thoughts and efforts to the enlargement, to unemployment, to the future of the Community and to the immediate problems in the wider world, for which we also share a responsibility.
Ladies and Gentlemen, your questions. [end p3]
Question
Mrs. Thatcher, assuming that the main intention of this meeting was to clear the way to enlargement, did you maintain in your final communique of today—the date of January 1st 1986 for the entry of Spain and Portugal in the Community?
Prime Minister
Well, I would hope that we shall be able to complete the entry on time. I cannot go any further, but you know full well that it has to be ad referendum because of the reserve which Greece has put upon it, but it has been a great boost to agree the detailed things, particularly on wine, and also a great boost to complete the budget discipline, because that opens up the way for agreement of the 1984 budget and, of course, opens up the way also for the enlargement of own resources which itself is, after all, for the enlargement of the Community. So we have done a really very good job towards enlargement.
Question
Mrs. Thatcher, in your talks with Dr. FitzGerald, do you think that you have moved any distance to undo the damage done by your own remarks at your press conference following the Summit in London and remarks made by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland?
Prime Minister
As far as I am concerned, there is no rift between myself and Dr. Garret FitzGerald. We had a very constructive Summit at Chequers. If you read the whole communique, you will find the extent of the agreement there, that we both abhor violence and will not accept it as a means of pursuing [end p4] political objectives, that we seek peace and stability in Northern Ireland, and that we seek a new political framework acceptable to both communities in Northern Ireland. All of that is in the other parts of the Forum Report. It is in the communique. I am afraid I have a weakness of when people ask me direct questions in press conferences, of giving direct answers. I hope that will not cause you any trouble.
Question
For a direct question, do you envisage Northern Ireland remaining indefinitely part of the United Kingdom?
Prime Minister
Northern Ireland …
Question
… do you see direct rule continuing?
Prime Minister
Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom. Northern Ireland will continue to remain part of the United Kingdom unless the majority of her inhabitants want it otherwise.
Question
Do you see any role for an Irish Government in the affairs of Northern Ireland in helping to reach an internal solution? [end p5]
Prime Minister
I am not going any further than I have gone. You are trying to tempt me down a path which I am sure might give you some headlines, but I am anxious to get constructive talks going again, as we always said they would. We said in that communique we shall return to talks in the early months of this coming year, and there will of course be a lot of preparations going on behind the scenes. So I have only good news for you.
Question
Prime Minister, if I could ask you just one other direct question, about Anglo-Irish affairs. Mr. Hurd, your Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, said just after the Chequers Summit that there could be a consultative but not an executive role for Dublin in the affairs of Northern Ireland. Is that a reflection of your view or the British Government's view?
Prime Minister
I am not going any further on Northern Ireland matters than I have already gone. On this occasion, I saw Mr. Garret FitzGerald on Northern Ireland matters for a very short time, ten or fifteen minutes, and again in the margins and conversations, but not for more than that, and I have nothing further to add to what I have already said.
I have nothing further to add to what I have already said on Northern Ireland.
Question
Prime Minister, how do you feel about the rather extraordinary security precautions that must now surround you? [end p6]
Prime Minister
I think that the Garda and the Army have been absolutely marvellous and so have the staff of the castle. They have looked after us very well and we greatly appreciate it and I would like them to know that.
Question
Could you comment please on the Greek demands for the implementation of the integrated Mediterranean programme? Do you think that they are presumptuous? Do you think that they are containable within the budget? Would the British Government Support increased EEC spending in order to accommodate the £4 billion or so over the six years that this programme seems to require?
Prime Minister
First, what we are offering, we believe, was a first stage to implementing the undertakings we gave at Brussels. We worked very hard on the several clauses in the belief that it would be acceptable to Greece. The figure you have mentioned is totally out of the question. I think one of the troubles has been that there have been rather large figures mentioned in the Commission. They are not figures which had any reflection in the States that had to provide the money and therein lay the difficulty. When the appetite of a country has been whetted by large expectations, it is not necessarily easily satisfied with a very much smaller realistic contributions which are offered, and that, I think, was the trouble here.
But if you look back to the text of Brussels, it was always within the limits of the financial resources available; it was always [end p7] through the structural funds, and that is what we were offering, and we had agreed the first year; we had agreed the duration, and hoped that Greece could accept that.
Question
Can you say how big the gap was between you, how much the Greeks were demanding and how much the rest were prepared to offer?
Prime Minister
We did not get down to a particular global sum. We sorted out the amount for the first year, but the sums that were being talked about as a global sum were so far out of sight that really they should never have been mentioned, because they bore no relation whatsoever to what colleagues and those of us who have to contribute to this programme could possibly have provided and no relation to the terms of the Brussels communique, as most of us saw it.
Question
Mrs. Thatcher, earlier on, Dr. FitzGerald was … Economic and Social Report … there was agreement on concerted economic action and I wonder do you see the agreement in that light and secondly, very briefly, on the Dooge Committee, it is known that you do not favour speedy movements towards European union. What would you say about the idea of an inter-governmental conference being convened in the near future?
Prime Minister
I am sorry, I was not quite sure about your first matter, but we did not get very deeply into agricultural matters other than wine. [end p8]
Question
Can I ask it again? Speaking about the Economic and Social Report, Dr. FitzGerald said that there was agreement to pursue more concerted economic policies within the Community and do you see the agreement in that light?
Prime Minister
Yes, indeed, but you will find some of that in the communique. Closer cooperation on getting new technology into Europe, trying to get the internal market complete, which itself would provide more jobs, trying to do away with a lot of the regulations, and a number of other things to which we gave our attention as a way of trying to achieve more jobs. Also, one thing which I think is mentioned in the communique, agreement on European standards. That also is very important. There are more jobs in that.
If you look at the communique, I think you will find them mentioned.
And the other thing, on the Dooge Report, again the Dooge Report is about completing the internal market. We made no decision at all about whether or not it should go to an inter-governmental council. There are certain things which have already been agreed unanimously by the Dooge Committee, but of course, as they are not all acting directly in concert with Heads of Government, that does not necessarily mean that they could be adopted. I mean, some of us agreed very very strongly with some things and some of us will have disagreements about others. But the way in which it is to be taken forward after March has not yet been decided.