The EU Member States are gearing up for a tough round of discussions in upcoming Anti-Dumping Committee meetings, especially the one planned for 19 November 2009, with the proposal of extending a 15-month anti-dumping duties on Asia footwear ranking high on the agenda.
The existing rates anti-dumping duties on footwear with leather upppers from China and Vietnam are 16.5% and 10% respectively.
Despite that fact that global footwear retailers such as Adidas, Puma, Sebago and Timberland all said to oppose the extension of duties, the Member States are likewise fiercely divided, with the usual leading protectionist Member State, namely Italy, pushing for the measures.
EuroCommerce and the Foreign Trade Association (FTA), representing retailers and importers, are avidly against the duty extension. The FTA has raised the issue that the duties are pointless as the EU industry’s difficulties are not related to shoes from the Chinese mainland or Vietnam but are linked to negative export performances, changing customer preferences and structural inefficiencies.
