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WHICH NOTES THAT VISITORS FROM AFRICA AND LATIN AMERICA CAUSE SPAIN PROBLEMS RATHER THAN HONG KONG WITH ONLY 5,000 A YEAR).
BY
A MEANS TRY TO GET HOLD OF THE SCHENGEN CVL AS YOU SUGGEST IN - YOUR TUR - ANY FURTHER INFORMATION WHICH YOU OR OTHER ADDRESSEES CAN GLEAN WILL BE USEFUL.
6. LINE TO TAKE
NOTE PROGRESS REPORTED FOLLOWING MINISTERIAL MEETING IN MADRID ON 30 JUNE (ON IMPLEMENTATION OF SCHENGEN ARRANGEMENTS). INTERESTED TO KNOW ABOUT ARRANGEMENTS FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF THE COMMON VISA LIST.
WE UNDERSTAND WHY THE SCHENGEN COUNTRIES ARE ALIGNING THEIR PRACTICE. WE UNDERSTAND FURTHER THAT, IN GENERAL, THIS IS LIKELY TO REPRESENT AN AGGREGATION (UNDERLINED) OF NATIONAL VISA REQUIREMENTS.
WE ARE CONCERNED, HOWEVER, THAT HONG KONG IS AMONGST THE COUNTRIES INCLUDED ON THE CVL. THIS WILL BE A BLOW TO HONG KONG BTDCS AND BN (0)S WHO NOW ENJOY VISA-FREE ACCESS TO YOUR COUNTRY. - THESE ARE BRITISH (UNDERLINED) PASSPORT HOLDERS. IN OUR VIEW THEY ARE A SPECIAL CASE. IT WOULD BE FAR PREFERABLE IF IN THIS CASE YOUR PRESENT ADDANCEMENTO pobude mu EN BASIC FOR THE COMMON SCHENGEN APPROACH RATHER THAN THAT YOU SHOULD ALIGN UPON THE MOST RESTRICTIVE NATIONAL PRACTICE.
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- HONG KONG TRAVELLERS HAVE A RECORD OF GOOD BEHAVIOUR AND OF PAYING THEIR WAY. THEY ARE OF COURSE RETURNABLE TO HONG KONG WHERE THEY HAVE RIGHT OF ABODE (AND WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO AFTER 1997).
NEITHER HAS THERE BEEN ANY HISTORY OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION FROM HONG KONG TO EUROPE, MANY MAINLAND CHINESE TRAVELLING TO OTHER COUNTRIES DO TRANSIT THROUGH HONG KONG (ABOUT 100,000 LAST YEAR). HOWEVER HONG KONG HAVE TOUGH AND EFFICIENT IMMIGRATION CONTROLS WHICH ACT AS A DETERENT TO WOULD-BE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS. RECENTLY HONG KONG REINFORCED CONTROLS ON PERSONS IN DIRECT TRANSIT WHO REMAIN AIRSIDE TO ENSURE THAT IT IS NOT USED AS A TRANSIT POINT FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS.
TRUST YOU, IN COMMON WITH OTHER MEMBERS OF THE INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS COMMUNITY, SHARE OUR AIM OF SUSTAINING CONFIDENCE IN HONG KONG. HONG KONG RESIDENTS SET CONSIDERABLE STORE BY THEIR ACCESS TO THIRD COUNTRIES. CONTINUITY IN ARRANGEMENTS LIKE THOSE BETWEEN HONG KONG AND YOUR OWN COUNTRY CONSTITUTE AN IMPORTANT CONFIDENCE BUILDING MEASURE FOR THE HONG KONG COMMUNITY.
WIDER IMPLICATIONS
7. WE RECOGNISE THAT IT WILL BE A DIFFICULT TASK TO TURN THE TIDE, GIVEN THE TREND IN EUROPE TOWARDS EXPANDING VISA REGIMES. BUT WE BELIEVE WE HAVE TO DO OUR UTMOST IN VIEW OF OUR RESPONSIBILITIES FOR HONG KONG AND THE SPECIAL POSITION THERE OF BUTCS AND BN (0)S. AT THE VERY LEAST WE WOULD AIM TO DELAY AS LONG AS POSSIBLE THE INTRODUCTION OF VISAS FOR HONG KONG BY ANY OF THE SCHENGEN COUNTRIES THAT DO NOT AT PRESENT REQUIRE THEM.
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A WIDER PROBLEM WILL ARISE IN THE CONTEXT OF COMMISSION PREPARATIONS FOR AN EC WIDE CVL UNDER THE TERMS OF MAASTRICHT
WE ARE CONSIDERING HOW BEST TO DEFEND HONG KONG'S POSITION
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