香港政府
GIS新聞處
DAILY INFORMATION BULLETIN
, ་་
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 1979
EEC GENERALISED SCHEME OF PREFERENCES BRITAIN EXERCISES ITS RIGHT IN FAVOUR OF HONG KONG
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BRITAIN HAS WAIVED ITS RIGHT UNDER THE NEW COMMON MARKET GENERAL SCHEME OF PREFERENCES TO INVOKE A PROVISION WHICH WOULD HAVE LED TO FURTHER DISCRIMINATION AGAINST HONG KONG'S EXPORTS.
AFFECTED ARE TOYS (ONE OF, HONG KONG'S MAJOR EXPORTS), UMBRELLAS, IMITATION JEWELLERY, TORCHES AND WIGS,
ALTHOUGH THESE ITEMS ARE ON THE SO-CALLED SEMI-SENSITIVE LIST, THAT IS TO SAY EACH BENEFICIARY IS ENTITLED TO CLAIM PREFERENCE UP TO 50 PER CENT OF THE COMMUNITY TARIFF QUOTA FOR THE PRODUCT IN QUESTION, HONG KONG AND SEVERAL OTHER BENEFICIARIES ARE DENIED FULL BENEFITS BECAUSE OF THEIR CLASSIFICATION AS +SUPER-COMPETITIVE+ SUPPLIERS OF THESE AND SOME OTHER PRODUCTS.
INSTEAD WE ARE SUBJECT TO A LOWER CUT-OFF LEVEL EQUAL TO OUR PREFERENTIAL ACCESS OF 1974 WHICH IS BASED ON 20 TO 30 PER CENT OF THE COMMUNITY TARIFF QUOTA OF THAT YEAR.
IN ADDITION, THERE IS A PROVISION WHICH FURTHER LIMITS OUR ACCESS IN EACH MEMBER STATE TO HALF OF THIS ENTITLEMENT.
IT IS THIS LATTER-LIMITATION THAT BRITAIN HAS NOW DECIDED NOT TO APPLY.
HONG KONG'S EXPORTS OF THEVE ITEMS TO THE EEC WERE WORTH A LITTLE OVER $480 MILLION LAST YEAR WITH BRITAIN TAKING THE LION'S SHARE.
WELCOMING THE NEWS, A SPOKESMAN FOR THE COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY DEPARTMENT SAID THAT THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT'S DECISION HAS REMOVED PART OF THE DISCRIMINATION AGAINST HONG KONG.
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Issued by Government Information Services, Beaconsfield House, Hong Kong. Tél: 5-233191
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