TNAG-2951-FCO40-4228-Hong-Kong-visa-free-travel-for-British-Nationals-(Overseas)--1993 — Page 98

FCO40 Hong Kong Department Records 聯邦事務部香港部檔案 All

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Now my experienc Wer. We won't that Caloni lasse sumer!

"(Procrically a mexicom

!!)

wave"!

Spain so determined to get Schengen launched under their Presidency would continue to cause difficulties.

5.

Article 8A. He said that only the prospect of Schengen, which fulfilled 90% of the free movement requirements (on a strict reading), had stopped the Commission taking legal action. When it came into effect, the pressure would no doubt increase on the three non-Schengenites? I said that much might depend on the EP. Now that we had ratified Maastricht, those itching for a fight would no doubt feel less inhibited. He did not exclude the possibility of challenge by an individual. He added that there had been no sign of the "Bangemann Wave" being in operation when he had come through Dover: he had had to hand over for inspection not only his own (diplomatic) passport but his wife's and daughter's too.

6.

Common Visa List. What did we expect the Commission to propose post-Maastricht? I said that Adrian Fortescue had been spectacularly unforthcoming so far - they hadn't yet decided how to play this hand.

perhaps because

Terral said that he would be seeing him soon, and hoped to find out more. I repeated the resource woes which a long List would give us, notably in Southern Africa. He agreed that the latter posed no immigration threat to France, but said that it would be absolutely impossible for them to lift their visa requirement on some Anglophone African countries whilst retaining it, as they had to, on "their" Francophone ones, even as part of a multilateral deal "forced" upon them.

1.

The

EFC Burden-Sharing. I said that the same resource pressures were making me feel that we would have to think about burden-sharing, given our more widespread representation than many others, even though the EFC, as presently drafted, effectively ruled it out. Otherwise the Irish etc would get a largely free ride. Terral agreed that changes would be desirable, but for a different reason. more applications that were made to the French or the British, the fewer would go to eg the Italians or the Benelux, whose controls were not up to standard, so the happier he would be. And the more visas the French issued, the healthier their financial position. (He was very attracted by our practice of making the fee a charge for considering an application, not for issuing a visa!)

8.

ATVS. I mentioned our problems with BA, and their complaints that Air France and others were in a more favourable position. He said it was certainly not true that France did not demand ATVs, and would give you a list of the countries concerned.

2

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