TNAG-0384-FCO40-430-Trade-relations-between-Hong-Kong-and-the-EEC-1973 — Page 37

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TO PRIORITY UKREP BRUSSELS TELEGRAM NUMBER 1166 OF 23 SEPTEMBER. 1973

MY TELEGRAM NUMBER 1161: EEC TEXTILE POLICY.

1. VE HAVE GIVEN SOME THOUGHT TO THE LANGUAGE OF THE COMMUNITY COMMITMENT REFERRED TO IN PARAGRAPH 2 OF MY TELEGRAM AND WOULD BE GRATEFUL IF YOU WOULD URGENTLY CONVEY OUR SUGGESTIONS TO ERNST AND MEYNELL (WHO MAY DE EXPECTING THEM).

2. IT SEEMS BEST TO INCORPORATE THE FORMULA IN THE DECISION WHICH THE COUNCIL MUST TAKE BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR ON EXTENDING PENDING RENEGOTIATION IN THE LIGHT OF THE NEW CATT TEXTILES AGREEMENT, THE COMMUNITY'S PRESENT TEXTILE BILATERALS UNTIL, PROBABLY, 30 JUNE 1973. (THIS IS THE DATE PROPOSED BY HONG KONG (AT ERHST/GERMANY SUGGESTION) FOR THE EXTENSION OF THEIR EXISTING BILATERAL AGREEMENT WITH THE COMMUNITY AND WILL PROBABLY SET THE PATTERN FOR THE OTHERS) THE DECISION MIGHT RUN AS FOLLOWS:

QUOTE THE COMMUNITY )

MEMBER STATES)

THE COUNCIL }

WILL ADOPT BY

DECEMBER 31 1973 A PROGRAMME OF MEASURES AND A TIMETABLE FOR REDUCING, OVER A TRANSITIONAL PERIOD, THE DISPARITY IN THE SIZE OF NATIONAL QUOTA SHARES LITHIN COMMUNITY CEILINGS AS A PRELIMINARY TO THE ESTABLISHMENT, AFTER A FURTHER TRANSITIONAL PERTOL, OF A UNIFIED MARKET IN TEXTILES IN WHICH ALL NATIONAL SUD-JTS1GTONS OF COMMUNITY QUOTAS MOULD BE ABOLISHED, UNQUOTE.

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