TNAG-0464-FCO40-529-Entitlement-of-Hong-Kong-to-EEC-Generalised-Scheme-of-Prefer-1974 — Page 75

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4.

THE CHAIRMAN ATTEMPTED TO DEFER DISCUSSION. ON

PRODUCTS.

CONDITAL

SOME DELEGATIONS COULD NOT TAKE UP ANY POSITION UNTIL

WE

THE ACP NEGOTIATIONS HAD REACHED A MORE ADVANCED STAGE.

THEREFORE NO NEED TO DISCUSS THESE PROPOSALS NOW. WE DEMURRED.

ACCEPTED THAT THERE WERE PROBLEMS RELATING TO THE TIMING OF THE CONCESSIONS WHICH WOULD BE BETTER DISCUSSED AT THE POLITICAL LEVEL

BUT THE GROUP SHOULD ATTEMPT TO RESOLVE THE TECHNICAL PROBLEMS

FOR OUR PART WE WERE OPPOSED TO SPECIFIC DUTIES BOTH BECAUSE OF.

THEIR GREATER COMPLICATION AND BECAUSE FLUCTUATIONS IN PRICES

COULD RESULT IN TOTAL ELIMINATION OF THE PREFERENCE. THE DUTCH

SAID THE COMMISSION'S PROPOSALS FOR SPECIFIC DUTIES WERE TOTALLY.

UNACCEPTABLE. CONCESSIONS SHOULD COME INTO FORCE ON 1 JANUARY 1975.

THEY WERE NOT SEEKING THE WITHDRAWAL OF ANY CONCESSIONS ALREADY

MADE ON COCONUT OIL. THE FRENCH SAID THAT THEY MIGHT ACCEPT A

''GESTURE'' IN THE CONTEXT OF THE ACP NEGOTIATIONS BUT THEY WOULD NOT

BE ABLE TO AGREE TO ANY DECISION UNTIL THE ACP NEGOTIATIONS WERE

SUBSTANTIALLY CONCLUDED. THIS COULD BE BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR.

THE DANES, GERMANS AND IRISH WERE IN FAVOUR OF THE COMMISSION'S

PROPOSALS. THE BELGIANS SUPPORTED THE FRENCH.

5. ON THE TOBACCO QUOTA FOR 1975 WE REPEATED OUR DEMAND FOR A

QUOTA SHARE OF 28,000 TONS FOR THE UK. THE DANES WANTED 2, 3300 TONS, THE ITALIANS 2,000 TONS AND THE IRISH 1,700 TONS. THE DUTCH

AND GERMANS ALSO WANTED INCREASES IN THEIR QUOTA SHARES. THE

BELGIANS AND FRENCH ACCEPTED THE COMMISSION'S PROPOSAL BUT WERE

OPPOSED TO GOING BEYOND 22,000 TONS MAINLY BECAUSE OF THE GREEK INTEREST. THE ITALIANS, DESPITE THEIR REQUEST FOR A BIGGER QUOTA,

COULD NOT LIFT THEIR RESERVE ON THE PRINCIPLE OF CONTINUATION OF

A TARIFF QUOTA FOR TOBACCO FOR ANOTHER YEAR. THERE WAS A LENGTHY

DISCUSSION ABOUT THE UTILISATION OF THE QUOTA. THE COMMISSION

POINTED OUT THAT ALTHOUGH THE QUOTA HAD BEEN SET UP FOR THE SAKE

OF COUNTRIES COVERED BY THE JOINT DECLARATION OF INTENT A LARGE PART OF THE COMMUNITY'S IMPORTS UNDER IT HAD BEEN FROM OTHER

COUNTRIES, PARTICULARLY BRAZIL. THEY URGED MEMBER STATES TO SEEK WAYS TO SEE THAT THOSE FOR WHOM IT WAS INTENDED BENEFITED. THE

CHAIRMAN PROPOSED A MINIMUM PRICE PROVISION BUT THE GENERAL OPINION

WAS THAT THIS WOULD NOT HAVE THE DESIRED EFFECT, THE GERMANS SAID

THEY SAW NO REASON WHY OTHER COUNTRIES THAN THE J D I SHOULD NOT

BENEFIT ALSO. THE DANES WERE ALSO OPPOSED TO ANY DISCRIMINATION. THE ITALIANS SAID THE 2,900 TON QUOTA THEY WERE SEEKING WOULD

BE USED EXCLUSIVELY FOR INDIA.

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