European Commission President Jacques Delors said Saturday that a democratic East Germany would be entitled to full membership in the European Community.
In an interview with the Irish Times, Delors said his personal interpretation of article 238 of the Treaty of Rome, which set up the original Common Market, would entitle East Germany to membership. Six nations - Germany, Italy, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg - signed the treaty in 1957, paving the way for what is now called the European Community, whose membership has expanded to 12."When the German authorities ratified the Treaty of Rome they made a special declaration that if (German) reunification was possible, we will reconsider the framework of Europe," Delors said. "That means that if East Germany becomes a pluralist democracy with an open economy, that country has its place in the present Community."