TNAG-0464-FCO40-529-Entitlement-of-Hong-Kong-to-EEC-Generalised-Scheme-of-Prefer-1974 — Page 77

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9. ON FOOTWEAR THE GERMANS SAID THEY COULD LNG THEN NO MORE THAN 19% GROWTH TO ONLY 1 PRODUCT (64.02 A). THE STILL HAD NO FINAL POSITION. THE IRISH AND ITALIANS CONTINUED TO

OPPOSE THE COMMISSION'S PROPOSAL. WE SAID THOSE DELEGATIONS WHO

WERE CONCERNED, AS WE WERE, ABOUT THE STATE OF THEIR FOOTWEAR INDUSTRIES SHOULD REALISE THAT THE COMMISSION'S PROPOSAL DID

NOT INVOLVE A LARGE INCREASE IN TOTAL PREFERENTIAL IMPORTS BUT

MERELY THE ADDITION OF ONE MORE SUPPLIER TO THE LIST. WE HOPED THE IRISH WOULD LIFT THEIR RESERVE SINCE THEY WOULD NOT BE GIVING

PREFERENCES FOR FOOTWEAR ANYWAY IN VIEW OF THEIR DEROGATION UNDER

THE ACCESSION TREATY. THEY SAID THAT UNDER THE PROTOCOL THEY WOULD

HOWEVER HAVE TO APPLY THE RATE APPLIED TO MEMBER STATES.

10. THE COMMISSION SPOKE BRIEFLY ABOUT THEIR PROPOSALS FOR TEXTILES. THESE INVOLVE A STRAIGHT INCREASE OF 5% OVER LAST YEAR'S PROPOSALS WITH FEW OTHER CHANGES APART FROM THE ADDITION OF SRI LANKA AND VIETNAM TO THE LIST OF BENEFICIARIES. THEY HAD NOT INCLUDED HONG KONG FOR NON-SENSITIVE PRODUCTS SINCE THIS WOULD HAVE INVOLVED A COMPLETE REVISION OF THE SCHEME, ON JUTE THEY HAVE PROPOSED THE CONTINUATION OF ZERO DUTIES FOR THE UK AND DENMARK IN 1975. THESE PROPOSALS WILL BE DISCUSSED AT THE NEXT MEETING.

FCO PLEASE PASS ADVANCE COPIES TO:-

FCO - HART (EID).

CABINET OFFICE BRECKNELL,

CUSTOMS - HILLISON.

D/INDUSTRY MISS LOWNE, PANKHURST, GWINNELL.

D/TRADE - INGRAM, ROBERTS.

MAFF BROWNSEY,

ODM RUSSELL.

FCO PLEASE PASS SAVING TO KUALA LUMPUR, SINGAPORE, HONG KONG.

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