In November the President of the European Commission, Jacques Santer, and Vice President Sir Leon Brittan visited Macau to meet with the territory's Governor, General Vasco Rocha Vieira.

Both sides promised to take advantage of their existing historical links and mutual interests to consolidate their long-term relations. The bilateral 1992 Agreement on Trade and Cooperation shall remain in force after December 20, 1999, when the Portuguese colony becomes a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China. President Santer said that the Commission will shortly begin drafting a document on relations after the handover, based on the 1992 accord. Furthermore, agreement was reached on procedures that will lead to the establishment in Brussels of an autonomous Delegation of Macau to the European Union, which has thus far depended on the Embassy of Portugal.

There was mutual satisfaction with the progress of cooperation projects, including the follow-up to proposals submitted on the occasion of the Governor's visit to the EU in December 1997. The forthcoming establishment of the Euro-Asia Advanced Studies' Centre for Tourism, in the Institute for Tourism and Training of Macau, and the setting up of the Centre for European Law in the Institute for European Studies of Macau deserve a special mention.

Governor Rocha Vieira briefed President Santer on the progress towards Macau's transfer of sovereignty. President Santer reaffirmed the importance attached by the Commission to a smooth handover and for Macau to continue to be able to perform its role as a regional platform. His words were underlined by the European Council which met in Vienna a month later. The Council stressed the positive manner in which the transition was evolving and expected the full implementation of the Sino-Portuguese Joint Declaration of 1987. The high degree of autonomy promised to the future SAR, and currently enjoyed by Hong Kong, would guarantee the preservation of the social, economic, judicial and cultural identity of Macau, the Council added.

Macau Governor General Vasco Rocha Vieira welcomes EC President Jacques Santer on 2 November 1998.