Miss Bliss
Please let me heeve back
Mr Paukinson has minuted/
written
to Hong Kong about
Post Maastricht visch regimes). "Whyoker By I June plear.
Mr Bunten,
Hong Kong Dept
(27
пирен
Reference..
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My tems Bane) Ice's
132/0
cc. Mr Hayward NiCD
NBJ 3/6
Mr Sherwald ECOVE
متن wiss it
please it
attached.
AGREEMENTS BETWEEN THE UK AND HONG KONG AFTER 1997
1.
In Mr Ricketts' absence we spoke about his minute to me of 12 May about visa abolition agreements.
2. I explained that the EC common visa list goes into Community competence with Maastricht and that thereafter it will be the Commission who will lead on which countries are added to or deleted from the list. We will be able to block any moves to increase the list until 1.1.96 because unanimous voting will be required, but after that date voting will be by qualified majority and we will therefore lose control of the list. Most of our partners prefer more, rather than less, visa regimes.
3. I have discussed the problem of visas for BN (0)s and others at some length with Mrs Barnes-Jones and MRS in relation to the new Consulate-General in Hong Kong and you may wish to talk to her. However, I believe it would be premature for the Hong Kong authorities to open negotiations with the Commission or any other member state. I believe that the relative visa-free access to Europe that people from Hong Kong have at the moment is due to the fact that most of our partners either do not understand, or choose to ignore, that they only have returnability to Hong Kong and not the UK. If Hong Kong raise the matter now our partners will be forced to face the issue and I have a good idea which way they would jump.
烬
Wa
H Parkinson
Migration and Visa Department
CL 408 270 4019
CODE 18-77
24 May 1993
cc: Miss Brooks, Legal Advisers
Mr Neale, B2 Division, Home Office
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