The creation of a West European Free Trade area is now so probable that it is time for all parties to pass on from discussion to the making of actual plans.
Both Business and Government organisations alike, in every country which joins the common market, will be faced by a large number of changes: and this will apply too in countries which maybe prefer to remain outside. Changes may be of a type which can not be included in routine planning, but which call for a comprehensive examination of the whole production and trade policy of the country in question. In the circumstances it is essential to specify the problems with which Business will be faced.
In accord with the efforts of S.N.S. to urge business undertakings to take a long-term view, both in thought and action, we have sought to contribute to this specification by publication of the book "Europamarknaden och företaget" ("The European Common Market and Business"), which is intended to give Business a starting point for their planning to meet the manifold increase in size of the home market. The manuscript was finished in November 1957 and the book published in January 1958 in Sweden. The work has been written by Director Wilhelm Paues at the Industrial Institute for Economic and Social Research (formerly of The Textile Council) who is one of the leading authorities on the subject. He is Vice Chairman of the O.E.E.C. Textiles Committee and has carried out research work on international industrial problems.
The book is thus a specification of the problems which may face Swedish business undertakings: on the other hand no attempt is made to present the Swedish attitude towards the matter: this has been published by the Industrial Associations of the Nordic countries. As problems similar in all essential features will probably face business in other countries, and as the book contains a wealth of well-documented new statistical material, S.N.S. considered a Summary of this book called for, with a view to an international circle of readers.
