ABSTRACT
The Community’s decision-making system is a continuous process of negotiation frequently based on complicated package deals which produce a very delicate balance of profits and losses on each item for every member country or pressure group. As far as Spain and Portugal are concerned the applications for membership have been welcomed in principle but negotiations are still in the preliminary stage. The applications from the three Mediterranean countries came at a time when the German economic giant had ceased to be a political dwarf and the federal government started playing an active role on the European scene. Membership of a Community with common institutions, well-established legal procedures and an efficient decision-making system makes much more sense for small countries than it does for big ones. A cynic would argue that Papandreou and Cunhal have been the strongest negotiating cards for the Greek and the Portuguese governments respectively.
