Europe: O.K. with Everyone but Charles

Just about everybody in Europe but Charles de Gaulle wants Britain in the Common Market. The governments of Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg, The Netherlands and West Germany all favor British entry. Continental businessmen want a crack at the 55 million potential customers in Britain; the European public would like to line up with such a swinging partner; and even Germany's most outspoken Gaullist, Finance Minister Franz Josef Strauss, now feels that British admission is necessary to help Europe narrow the technology gap with the U.S.

Last week the prestigious Brussels-based Commission of the European Economic Community added its official O.K. After an examination of the ner vous state of sterling and the problems of the British economy, the commission concluded that no technical or economic barriers stand in the way of Britain's admission. The commission's report will be presented next month to the foreign ministers of the Common Market members, who then must decide when Britain will be allowed to advance to the next stage and begin formal negotiations for admission despite Charles de Gaulle's displeasure.