3.
CON BENTIAL
THAT SAID, WE CAN WELL UNDERSTAND THAT IT WOULD CAUSE
BITTERNESS IN HONG KONG IF A LARGE NUMBER OF MACAU RESIDENTS
ENTITLED TO PORTUGUESE NATIONALITY WERE TO ENJOY BETTER ACCESS TO
THE EC THAN HONG KONG BDTCS. ALTHOUGH UNDER THE TRANSITIONAL
ARRANGEMENTS WHICH HAVE BEEN NEGOTIATED AND WHICH WILL LAST FOR 7
YEARS, MEMBER STATES WILL BE ENTITLED TO MAINTAIN THEIR EXISTING REGULATIONS FOR PORTUGUESE WORKERS (WHICH MEANS THAT MACANESE HOLDING PORTUGUESE PASSPORTS WILL HAVE TO APPLY FOR WORK PERMITS BEFORE SETTLING IN OTHER PARTS OF THE EC IN THE USUAL WAY) WE
ACCEPT THAT WE SHOULD TRY TO ENSURE THAT HONG KONG BDTCS AND PORTUGUESE PASSPORT HOLDERS WHO DESIRE THEIR PASSPORT FROM RESIDENCE
IN MACAU ARE TREATED SIMILARLY BY THE COMMUNITY IN THE LONG TERM.
FOLLOWING TELECOM EHRMAN/MARGOLIS, SIR M BUTLER HAS RAISED
THE PROBLEM TODAY IN COREPER IN THE FOLLOWING WAY:
4.
(A)
IT WOULD BE ANOMALOUS IF PORTUGUESE RESIDENTS OF MACAU WERE
TO ENJOY BETTER ACCESS TO THE EC AFTER PORTUGAL'S ACCESSION THAN
DO BDTC RESIDENTS OF HONG KONG. WE SHOULD LIKE THE PRESIDENCY
TO PUT THIS PROBLEM TO THE PORTUGUESE AND ENQUIRE ABOUT BOTH THE
PRESENT NUMBER OF PORTUGUESE PASSPORT HOLDERS IN MACAO AND THE
CRITERIA UNDER WHICH PORTUGUESE PASSPORTS ARE ISSUED.
(B) SIR M BUTLER NOTED THAT CONTACTS IN LISBON (SEE PARAGRAPH 5 OF LISBON TELNO 197) HAD GIVEN RISE TO THE SUGGESTION THAT THE
PORTUGUESE MIGHT BE WILLING TO NEGOTIATE SIMILAR STATUS VIS-A-VIS
THE EC FOR PORTUGUESE PASSPORT HOLDERS FROM MACAU AS OBTAINS
FOR BDTC PASSPORT HOLDERS IN HONG KONG. THE UK WOULD LIKE TO SEE
THIS EXPLORED.
5. THE PRESIDENCY WERE BROADLY SYMPATHETIC AND UNDERTOOK TO
RAISE THE PROBLEM WITH THE PORTUGUESE THIS AFTERNOON. THEY ADDED
THAT THEY WOULD SUPPORT SUBSEQUENT UK REPRESENTATIONS IN
BILATERAL CONTACTS WITH THE PORTUGUESE AND NOTED THAT THE UK
DECLARATION IN THE FINAL ACT OF OUR TREATY OF ACCESSION WAS A
HELPFUL PRECEDENT. THE COMMISSION WERE LESS HELPFUL, ARGUING THAT THE PROBLEM WAS NOT AN EC MATTER.
6. WE SHALL LET YOU KNOW THE OUTCOME OF THE
PRESIDENCY/PORTUGUESE MEETING AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
A: DPA
D: HE, CS, FS, PA, S(GD) (5), SforS, DofIMM, SBTC, PS/GH FILE NO: SCR 13/4841/59 Pt. 9
kdt
CONFIDENTIAL