II. Progress report
1.
2.
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In the course of several meetings the Working Party examined, from a technical point of view, the draft directives annexed to the recommendation for a Decision on the opening of negotiations with Hong Kong and agreed on a new version which is given in Annex I to this note.
However, certain points of these draft directives are still subject to reservations by various delegations
and these are given in footnotes.
The Working Party also held a general exchange of views on the advisability of planning immediate negotiations with Hong Kong on the conclusion of an agreement on voluntary restraint in the textiles sector.
In this connection, the delegations pointed out first of all that the specific situation which had led the Commission to propose the negotiations of an agreement on voluntary restraint, was no longer the same as at the end of 1972, since Hong Kong had unilaterally reduced its exports to the German market and imports by the other Member States from Hong Kong did not yet cause any particular difficulties which might require measures at Community level;
S/704 e/73 (COMER 141) ers/BS/hm
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