TNAG-1083-FCO40-1333-Implications-for-Hong-Kong-of-changes-in-the-British-nationa-1981 — Page 45

[DEFENSIVE] RELATIONSHIP WITH EC OR OUR NON-EUROPEAN DEPENDENCIES

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1. Though the other dependencies were not covered by Article 227(4) of the Treaty of Rome they were not completely excluded from our

With the exception of Hong Kong (and the

Treaty of Accession.

Sovereign Base Areas see separate note) all the other

dependencies were accepted as qualifying for Part IV association

status in the same way as the French overseas territories which are

not part of metropolitan France. This gave them''Associate Status'

with the EC, giving them duty free access to the Community market

and various special aid provisions. Hong Kong's trade position

with the Community made Part IV association unacceptable to the

Community but Hong Kong benefitted by being included in the

Community's Generalised Preference Scheme which was a material

advantage to Hong Kong.

2. So all the dependencies were taken account of in our accession

to the EC. Part IV association of the other dependencies did not

however entitle their people to qualify as nationals for EC

purposes. As with Gibraltar's position, this stemmed from the

original Treaty and not from differentiation by the UK.

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