Our Ref: Your Ref:
CRE 41/67 15072
27th October, 1967
63/€/2
Dear Monsieur van Coppenolle,
Further to my letter of 21st September I am now able to let you have our proposals for a further revision of the Anglo Benelux Agreed Minute on Trade to cover 1968 and future periods as necessary I accordingly enclose a draft Agreed Hinute and Annex, together with a draft Exchange of Letters. As I explained in my letter of 3rd July we see some advantage in drawing up a text for the Agreed Minute governing trade between the United Kingdom and the Benelux countries which could be automatically renewed from year to year. Particularly in view of our application for membership of the European Communities we think it important that the content of the Anglo-Benelux Agreed Kinute should be up-to-date.
2.
You will see from the enclosures to this lotter that the draft Agreed Minute consists of formal provisions which could be renewed from year to year and should not require fréquent amend- ment. The levels of the quotas are set out in an Annex, which would normally be a greed from year to year and could be changed without difficulty. We suggest that certain undertakings which have been given in the past are inappropriate for inclusion in the draft Agreed Minute; they need not however be repeated year by year and might perhaps be included in a separate Exbhange of Letters. The se points are explained in fuller detail below.
3.
In paragraph 1 of the draft Agreed Minute we have included the United Kingdox overseas territories as parties; this is in line with our similer arrangements with other members of the Six and is comparable to the inclusion of Surinam and the Netherlands Antilles on the Benelux side, Paragraph 4 of the draft is taken from the Agreed Minute for 1966. Paragraph 5 is a new provision but one which we think correctly represents the views of all the Governments concerned. "he remainder of the draft is, we hope, self explanatory, You will see that we have omitted the para- graphs from the 1966 Agreed Minute which refer to changes in the trade arrangements which may be made necessary by the E.E.C. or EFTA Traaties. We think that these provisions might now be omitted in view of our application for membership of the Communities; any points which might arise in this context are in any case provided for in a more general way in paragraph 6 of the draft.
4. You will see that we have placed in the draft Exchange of . Letters a number of points which are in the body of the 1966 Agreed Hinute. Other points in the 1966 Agreed Minute have beel
Monsieur P. van Coppenolle,
Counsellor (Economic),
Belgian Embassy,
103 Katon Square,
London 8.W.1