Delors plea for larger Union

The President of the European Commission, Jacques Delors, yesterday appealed to MEPs to approve the enlargement of the European Union in the face of parliamentary threats to block the applications of Austria, Sweden, Finland and Norway, writes Sarah Lambert from Brussels.

A majority is looking difficult to muster in time for the vote on 4 May. Any delay would produce a damaging stalemate and throw the timetable for a 16-member Union by January 1995 into chaos since it would not be voted on again until after the European elections in June.