TNAG-0385-FCO40-431-Trade-relations-between-Hong-Kong-and-the-EEC-1974 — Page 158

Reference

NICK6/3

140

MR GOODFELLOW

ΗΚΙΟΥ

22/10

GENERALISED SCHEME OF PREFERENCES

1.

There was a meeting of the Cabinet GEN 131 Committee on 16 October. One of the items discussed was the Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP) and I attach a copy of the minutes of this part of the meeting.

2. One of the points which Mr Lam (DTI) mentioned was that in the GSP Working Group Meetings in Brussels several of our Community partners, especially the French, were resisting the application of the normal arithmetical basis for calculating what the tariff quotas for certain sensitive, ie competitive,Hong Kong products should be. He mentioned specifically transistors, optical equipment, record players, travel goods and protective gloves. Mr Butler, leading for the FCO, said that it was important that we should press for as fair a deal for Hong Kong as possible, particularly since we were under much pressure from the Hong Kong Authorities to reopen the questi on of the exclusion from the EEC's GSP of her textile and footwear exports.

3. Both the general paper on GSP and the specific FCO paper on Hong Kong are to be taken in EUM on 23 October. As you will see from the Chairman's summing up in the attached extract it is envisaged that at the Council of Ministers' meeting on 5/6 November the UK would emphasise that we would be pressing for further improvements in the 1975 scheme, "particularly in respect of Hong Kong".

Age & fort.

RD HART

European Integration Department (External)

18 October 1973

DD 145177 219242 500M 4/73 GM 3643/2