TNAG-2161-FCO40-3083-Hong-Kong-visa-abolition-agreements-1990 — Page 157

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CONFIDENTIAL

reciprocal visa arrangements.

In practice this turned

out not always to be the case: six EC states still continue to demand visas.

5. When Bermuda's Premier, John Swan visited London and called on the Prime Minister in 1988, the Secretary of State agreed to delegate to the Government of Bermuda authority to negotiate bilateral visa abolition arrangements with EC states, but we decided to keep our own role passive and limited to providing names of officials and contacts. To date, other than the UK, four EC states (Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands) continue to allow visa-free access and a fifth, Portugal, has recently agreed to do so for Bermudian holders of BDTC passports. But there seems little prospect of Bermuda persuading the remaining six EC States without a push from us. Denmark, France and the FRG at honorary consul level, have all recently confirmed that they continue to require visas.

6.

Sir Jack Sharpe, Bermuda's Minister for

Delegated and Legislative Affairs wrote last year to Sir David Hannay, asking him to approach EC colleagues to persuade them to agree to a unanimous waiving of visa requirements for Bermudians wishing to enter Community countries. Sir David Hannay's reply pointed out that immigration policy was a matter for individual member states and not for Community decision; hence Bermuda should continue to deal directly with the Ministries of individual member states. On his advice, Sir J Sharpe contacted Mr Morris, the Under-Secretary responsible for immigration at the Home Office asking his guidance on how he should proceed. The Home Office have referred his letter back to WIAD.

Argument

7. Although the Government of Bermuda repeatedly pressed us to lobby the EC countries on their behalf to set up a special visa-free provision for Bermuda, we resisted on the grounds that:

a) had HMG become involved in negotiations it would have been difficult to confine them to Bermuda alone; we would have needed to speak on behalf of all Dependent Territories;

b) involvement in negotiations by HMG would have run a high risk of provoking our VAA partners to raise more generally the need to re-negotiate our VAAS to take account of the 1981 Act;

CONFIDENTIAL