TNAG-0467-FCO40-532-Hong-Kong-s-interests-in-EEC-capitals-1974 — Page 23

Mr. Ortoli

500

--President of the European Communities

200, rue de la Loi

1040 BRUSSELS

w/59

RECEIVED AN REGISTRYN 37

19/UG 1974

涵

E. 403012 E.

G

ORIGINAL: FR.

Dear Mr. President,

ABURON

At a time when the EEC is preparing and negociating the practical methods for it to apply the recent multilateral agreement under GATT, it seems opportune for us to express once more a concern that we have underlined on several occasions.

In fact, our trade union organisations consider it in- dispensable, in order to maintain employment in the tex- tile and clothing industries of the EEC, to formally li- mit the concessions extended to certain countries. Today, as in the past, our organisations consider it im- perative to concede a growing share of world markets to true developing countries.

Certain south-east Asian countries do not, however, really belong to this category, i.e. Hong-Kong, South Korea, Formosa and Macao, and the Commission cannot ignore that the growing pressure exercised by excessive imports from these countries constitutes a threat to employment in in- dustrialised countries and especially to the countries of the EEC, a threat which grows from year to year.

The competitivity of these countries is uniquely due to the shameful exploitation of a labour force which is ill- protected and which draws practically no benefit from its activity through real growth in its purchasing power.

As for employment in the importing countries, it suffers considerably without there being in compensation any real aid to development.

This means, in other words, that workers in our industries are all too often condemned to unemployment in order to profit certain large investors.

Our writing to you is solely inspired by social considera- tions, and must not, therefore, be interpreted as diminishing in any way the international solidarity to which we continue to be devoted.

The case of Hong Kong is without doubt, the most acute, but not only because of the quantities concerned. It seems in- credible to us that the dreadful social conditions in this British colony can continue to exist at a time when Great Britain has become part of the European Communities.

At a time when the European Communities seem to wish to con- cern themselves, in a more positive manner than in the past, with the social situation in the Community, we cannot con-