TNAG-0337-FCO40-373-Visit-of-the-Chancellor-of-the-Duchy-of-Lancaster--Sir-Geoff-1972 — Page 59

RESTRICTED

She pointed out that the specific Hong Kong quotas were

the result of annual consultation with Hong Kong authorities

and many items were subject to restraint from other sources.

5. Hong Kong has always been hopeful that the UK's entry

into the EEC would result in the alleviation of this problem.

6.

France's continuing import restrictions have hindered

the development of the EEC's Common Commercial Policy in

this field. The Common Liberalisation List is in fact only a

consolidated list of items already liberalised by all ember

States and some items excluded from the common list may only

be so because only France is maintaining restrictions cu tha. :

there does not appear to be any great pressure from the

Community as a whole on individual Member States to rovove

remaining import restrictions.

7. A revision of Regulation 1025/70 on import polic, whiteh

contains the Common Liberalisation List is now being di in

by the Commission. This contains provisions for the

introduction of supervision at national level of imm

items from Hong Kong. The items are in fact those on

France is maintaining restrictions. This may be a

move on behalf of France to enable liberalisation to

and the Common Commercial Policy to appear to make per:

8. France continues to invoke Article 115 to refuse do malby

treatment to imports from the Five when the producte neigin ele

in Hong Kong. Germany has recently complained about in

continued use of Article 115 for this purpose so long after

the completion of the Customs Union.

RESTRICTED

/Line