TNAG-0387-FCO40-433-Exports-of-non-cotton-textiles-from-Hong-Kong-to-the-EEC-1973 — Page 2

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PA

Office of the United Kingdom Permanent Representative to the European Communities

Avenue des Arts 52 1040 Brussels

Telephone 13 77 80

! RECEIVED

REGISTRY No, i

- SOCT1975

R Hope Esq

CT Division

DTI

Victoria St

SW1

L

!HKK 6/6

Your reference

Our reference

Date

28 September 1973

101

Dear Robin,

HONG KONG TEXTILES:

QUESTION IN EUROPEAN PARLIEMEN T

For your background information I enclose copies of a question put to the Commission in the European Farliament on the Commission's proposal for an agreement with Hong Kong on textiles and of the Commission's proposed reply. The wording of the first paragraph of the reply, with its implication that the conclusion of an agreement with Hong Kong by the UK was the main motivation for the Commission's proposal, is perhaps somewhat tendentious. The Commission's proposed replies to questions in the European Farliament are submitted to the Council "as a matter of courtesy" and the normal practice is to accept corrections of a factual nature but to reject proposals for changes of nuance or attitude. I do not therefore think there would be any point in us raising this question with the Commission.

You eve

John

Encl.

JR de Fonblanque

R Hart Esq EID FCO

M Goodfellow Esq Hong Kong Division FCO

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