CONFIDENTIAL
Background
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3. The location of Commission Offices overseas is matter for
own decision. Council approval is not required, although member states can and do lobby on behalf of their preferred sites. The UK has been pressing the Commission to open an office in Hong Kong ever since their decision to establish an EC Delegation
Office in Beijing (which opened in May 1988).
4. At the time, a major aim was to underline the territory's autonomy in matters commercial and economic post-1997. The Joint Declaration provides that post 1997 the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) may on its own maintain and develop
economic and trade relations with all states and regions. We
therefore successfully argued that the office should be free standing and not subordinate to the Beijing office.
5.
The Commission eventually agreed to set up an office in Hong Kong in the early nineties, providing finance was available within the budget. This was confirmed publicly in March 1990 during a visit to Hong Kong by Commissioner Andriessen. But in 1991 the Commission gave higher priority to opening offices in
Central and Eastern Europe. However, we continued to lobby, and
in October 1991 the Commission sent an administrative officer to
Hong Kong to make the practical arrangements for setting up in
1992.
6.
Premises have been leased, and the intention is that the
Office should formally open in October. However, negotiations
between the Commission and the Hong Kong Government over the question of privileges and immunities are proving difficult. two sides have yet to find common ground.
The Commission's Position
ASIA-PACIFIC/1207.HKsub
2
CONFIDENTIAL
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