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b) THE EXTERNAL FRONTIERS CONVENTION. One of the provisions of this convention, will be the adoption of a Uniform Visa. Once this has been issued by one member state, the visa holder will be able to seek entry to all member states, without the need to acquire a visa from each country to be visited. It follows that the common visa list will be an important part of the mechanism to control access, and this will be accompanied by necessary harmonisation of policies and procedures. The EC common visa list will be used as the basis for visa regimes under the EFC and as mentioned above, the tendency is likely to be to increase rather than decrease the number of visa nationalities. This convention however has not yet opened for signature, and is being blocked because of Spanish objections to it being extended to Gibraltar. A solution to this problem is not imminent, and nor therefore is the adoption of the EFC.
c) THE SCHENGEN CONVENTION. All EC member states, with the exception of the UK, Ireland and Denmark will be signatories to this convention, although it is not yet in force. Its conceptual approach is similar (but broader) to that of the EFC, and a Uniform Schengen visa will be used, allowing circulation within the 9 signatory states by holders of a visa issued by one of its members, with no internal border checks between Schengen states. Since the UK is not a party to this Convention, and does not intend to be, our knowledge of the detailed discussions between the members and proposed practical arrangements is by no means complete. But as mentioned above, it seems likely that the Schengen states will seek to adopt a more all-embracing visa regime, and when they realise that BDTCS/BNOS do not have automatic returnability to the UK, visa requirements are likely to reflect that fact. Although this convention is not yet operational, it seems likely to be so before the EFC, and probably during the course of 1994.
2. To summarise, we shall be able to keep Hong Kong off any EC Common Visa List until 31 December 1995, but after that date we shall lose control; Howard Parkinson's minute of 24 May to Rod Bunten has already made this point. If Hong Kong is added to the common visa list, its BDTC/BNO visitors to the EC
(including the UK) will require pre-entry clearance, and secure a visa, either from one of our Missions overseas (or when the EFC is operable possibly one of our EC partner's Missions). This will be a departure from the current practice whereby Entry Clearance Certificates are only required by BDTCs and BOCS who come to the UK as other than Students, Visitors, Working holiday-makers, Transit passengers, and Returning residents (see DSP Visa Vol 1 Part 1 Annex 1.4).