European Diary, 1977-1981 by Roy Jenkins Page A

Complementary Memorandum 21 which has to be put before the Luxembourg Parliament at the same time as my Programme speech, and then an interesting but rather sombre debate, so intractable are the difficulties in this field, about the accession of Portugal. During the afternoon we then had about an hour’s discussion on an exposé of Gundelach’s thoughts on agricultural price-fixing. Although the two Frenchmen gave notice that they were not going to give up the tax on vegetable-oil margarine without a fight, he on the whole got a pretty fair wind behind him.
    Towards the end I rather galloped them through a résumé of my speech for Luxembourg; the subsequent discussion politely warned me not to be too encouraging or optimistic. Ortoli and Brunner rather predictably did this, so to some extent did Davignon, and somore surprisingly did Vredeling. He seems to have been converted to pessimistic conservatism fairly early in his Commission career compared with his ebullience of two and a half weeks ago, when he gave the impression that he was going to solve the unemployment problem of Europe at the stroke of a pen.
    Dined with Léon Lambert 22 in his large, strikingly furnished apartment above the Banque Lambert. Very good books, beautifully arranged, also five or six good paintings and some remarkable Eastern
objets
as well. This was my first foray into Brussels society, but, perhaps because he is of
le grand juiverie,
it was not that of the moneyed cousinage of La Hulpe. The inevitable but agreeable Davignons were there, also Fernand Spaak and his sister Antoinette (the younger Paul-Henri Spaak 23 daughter, Marie Palliser’s sister) whom I had not previously met; also a couple of bankers and their wives. Lambert himself was intelligent and friendly.
    FRIDAY, 28 JANUARY.
Brussels, Strasbourg and East Hendred.
    The day of my first return to England, but by the rather roundabout route of Strasbourg, for the opening of the new Council of Europe building, which the European Parliament will also use. 10.30 meeting with the Japanese Ambassador, and then an avion taxi to Strasbourg. We drove in to the elegant Hôtel de Ville, where Mayor Pflimlin gave a lunch for about eighty, mainly from the Council of Europe. I had on one side the Turkish Foreign Minister, whose identity I took a little time to discover and who spoke a curious old-fashioned but efficacious French. ‘Plait-il?’ was his favourite phrase but that may have been more a commentary on my French than on his.
    On my other side was Michael Yeats, the son of the poet, candidate for the presidency of the European Parliament, Irish senator, and member of the Fianna Fáil Party. I had a rewarding conversation with him about the difference between Fianna Fáiland Fine Gael of which he gave a convincing historical explanation; and also about why Fianna Fáil was linked up with the Gaullists. Partly accident, he said, and partly because they were both nationalist parties, but both believing in Europe and both dedicated to the Common Agricultural Policy.
    Pflimlin made a gracious but too long speech after lunch and was replied to by Garret Fitzgerald, as the chairman of the Council of Europe Council of Ministers, speaking very good French. Then to the new Palais de l’Europe, where we assembled to greet Giscard at 3.30. He did not seem on very buoyant form, though he was perfectly gracious in the few words which I had with him, and made a show of interest as we went round the building. The so-called
hémicycle
or chamber was rather good; the rest of it, and particularly the exterior, was not inspiring. Six preliminary speeches, including mine which came third. It was at least shorter than most of the others, who all, except for Garret Fitzgerald who was under time, overran their time by 100 per cent or more. Spénale, the French President of the Parliament, made a considerable oration in the old Herriot style. Giscard spoke rather elegantly