E.R.
CONFIDENTU
DENTIAL
NOTE OF A MEETING HELD ON 12 MARCH 1990
MEETING WITH DANISH MINISTER OF JUSTICE
on Int
Support
JJ 22/3
Home Secretary | RECEIVED IN REGIST
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Mr
TOTTICE
MAR 1990
PA
REGISTRY
Action Taken
Present:
Mr Langdon
Mr R M Morris
Mr Boys Smith
INDEX
Mr Varney
Mr Walters
Mr Storr
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Special Airsen
The Home Secretary, in welcoming Mr Engell, referred to the close relations between Mr Engell's predecessor and Mr Hurd. In response, Mr Engell invited the Home Secretary to visit Copenhagen, which he understood Mr Hurd had much enjoyed visiting.
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NORDIC UNION AND 1992 FRONTIER ISSUES
2. The Home Secretary asked Mr Engell about the current state of play on Denmark's discussions with its Nordic partners on travel within the Nordic Union countries and 1992 obligations. In response, Mr Engell set out the background to the present arrangements for travel within the Nordic Union. The Danes were keen to preserve this and had sought to negotiate their way round the difficulties raised by the proposed EC External Frontiers Convention. Their proposal, which was now under discussion, was that EC nationals would be able to enter Denmark freely but would then be subject to some form of control in the Nordic countries, while third country nationals would be subject to normal controls.
DRAFT CONVENTION ON ASYLUM
3. Mr Engell said that the Danish Government had reservations about many parts of the draft Convention, which he thought would create a major refugee problem for the country. The subject was a hot political issue and there was a fear that Denmark might well become a magnet for asylum applicants because of its favourable social security arrangements and other aspects of the Danish system.
4. The Home Secretary set out the difficulties which the present draft Convention would cause the United Kingdom on the question of transit passengers. There were many millions of passengers who passed through Heathrow and Gatwick in transit to other destinations and there would be a considerable problem if the Convention made the United Kingdom liable for determining the asylum claim of any such transit passenger. Such a requirement would force the United Kingdom to opt for a system of transit visas. This would add considerably to the bureaucracy of immigration control
1.
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