RESTRICTED
C. THE BURDEN SHARING FORMULA
THIS IS OF FUNDAMENTAL IMPORTANCE IN UK TEXTILE POLICY. IT IS
ALSO OF GREAT IMPORTANCE TO YOU IN ACCELERATING THE RATES OF GROWTH
OF EFFECTIVE QUOTAS IN MEMBER STATES WHICH HAVE BEEN RELATIVELY SMALL IMPORTERS. BUT IT IS A COMMUNITY FORMULA, AND YOU WILL BE
TOLD BY THE COMMISSION THAT THE RESULTS OF ITS APPLICATION ARE NOT
NEGOTIABLE. THIS IS LARGELY TRUE, AND WE WOULD BE VERY UNHAPPY IF IT WERE OTHERWISE. WE SUGGEST. THAT YOUR PROBING SHOULD BE
DIRECTED TOWARDS THE JUSTIFICATION AT COMMUNITY LEVEL OF THE
PROPOSED RESTRAINTS. THE BURDEN SHARING FORMULA RESPECTS ALL THE
OBLIGATIONS OF THE MFA, AND WILL GIVE THE RESULT THAT VIRTUALLY ALL OF THE GROWTH IN COMMUNITY QUOTAS WILL BE DIRECTED TOWARDS THE
PREVIOUSLY-RESTRICTIVE MEMBER STATES. WE WILL CONTINUE TO PRESS TO ENSURE THAT THE GREATLY (IN PERCENTAGE TERMS) INCREASED ACCESS
TO OTHER MEMBER STATES IN GENUINELY AVAILABLE, BUT IT WILL BE FOR YOU VIA THE COMMISSION, TO BRING TO THE ATTENTION OF THE
COMMUNITY ANY DIFFICULTIES ENCOUNTERED IN MAKING USE OF QUOTAS.
J
2. WE HOPE THAT IT WILL BE POSSIBLE TO SECURE AGREEMENT; WITHIN
THE COMMUNITY TO A MANDATE WHICH WILL PREMIT THE CONCLUSION OF A
MUTUALLY SATISFACTORY AGREEMENT WITH HONG KONG. WE WILL CONTINUE
TO TRY TO ENSURE THAT THE MANDATE IS SUFFICIENTLY FLEXIBLE TO PERMIT GENUINE NEGOTIATIONS. I HOPE YOU WILL BEAR THIS IN MIND.
ALLEGATIONS THAT THE UK WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR AN UNSATISFACTORY MANDATE WOULD BE TOTALLY UNJUSTIFIED. BUT, AS IN ALL NEGOTIATIONS OF THIS KIND, THERE ARE BOUND TO BE SOME ASPECTS OF THE MANDATE WITH WHICH YOU WILL BE UNHAPPY. NEVERTHELESS, WE STRONGLY ADVISE
YOU TO THINK VERY CAREFULLY BEFORE BREAKING OFF NEGOTIATIONS.
AS WE INDICATED WHEN YOU WERE IN LONDON IN OCTOBER, WE THINK IT
MORE IN HONG KONG'S INTERESTS TO GO FOR AN ARTICLE 4 AGREEMENT
THAN ARRANGEMENTS UNDER ARTICLE 3. MUTUALLY ACCEPTABLE ARRANGEMENTS WOULD SEEM PREFERABLE TO ONES IMPOSED AND PROBABLY ADMINISTERED BY THE
2
RESTRICTED
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.