TNAG-0148-FCO40-184-Consular-endorsements-of-certificates-of-origin-for-Italy-1969 — Page 26

origin are protected by appropriate legislation, including

heavy penalties for offences. The importance of this system

is attested by the fact that 80 per cent of all Hong Kong

exports are now of domestic origin and 20 per cent only are

re-exports; and the high standards and effectiveness of Hong

Kong certificates

or

origin have been acknowledged by her

major trading partners, all of whom accept these certificates

without any requirement for consular endorsement.

5. The very rigorous system involved in issuing the

certificates, including the provisions for inspection and

the legal protection and penalties, is sufficient in itself

to guarantee their validity and the single process of

endorsement by the Italian Consulate-General cannot, in

practice, add any further guarantee to the very rigorous

system applied in Hong Kong Full details of the Hong Kong

certification of origin system are, in any case, always'

available to the Italian Consulate-General, who can have

direct access to any part of this system at any time. The

Hong Kong Government would welcome any inspections into, or

further consultations on, their certificate of origin system

which the Italian Government might consider necessary.

6. It might also be noted that the Contracting Parties to

the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade have for a number

of years been pressing for the abolition of unnecessary

consular formalities and fees.

Article VIII of the GATT also

provides that consular fees and charges, where they exist,

should be limited in amount to the approximate cost of the

services rendered. The imposition of a sliding scale of fees

is difficult to reconcile with these provisions. Furthermore,

the charging

...