Belgium : EU Trade Commissioner comments on EU textiles in China

As you all know very well, back in 2005 the EU and China agreed a Memorandum of Understanding with Beijing that included a two-and-a-half year transition arrangement designed to give some extra breathing space to EU textile producers following the liberalisation of global trade in textile and clothing.
The arrangement capped growth each year for ten particularly sensitive textile and clothing products. These caps expire on 31 December 2007, although the Memorandum itself remains valid until the end of 2008, and it commits industry and government on both sides to work for a stable transition to free trade in textiles.
It was always my intention to hold China to that responsibility. The Commission negotiated with China a double-checking surveillance system for 2008 that will cover eight textiles product categories with particular sensitivities. What this means is that China will issue an export licence for all exports and, in parallel, the EU licensing offices in the Members States will issue an import licence.
It is a familiar system and manufacturers, importers and retailers have all welcomed it. Its value lies in allowing us to monitor textile import patterns, and because imports have to be licensed before they leave the dock in China, it allows us to see likely developments in advance.