EU decision anti-dumping footwear

EU decides soon on extension on Anti-dumping duties on footwear The president of the Italian Footwear Manufacturers’ Association (ANCI), Vito Artioli, has said that stakeholders in the leather footwear sector in the European Union have submitted “a detailed file” of evidence to the European Commission (EC) in Brussels.

It contains arguments why anti-dumping tariffs on imported footwear from China and Vietnam should remain in the coming years.Initial measures against exports of counterfeit (leather) shoes from the two Asian countries came into force in October 2006 for an initial two-year period. When that ended last year, the EC said it would conduct a formal review of the situation. The review is coming to an end now and Mr Artioli said at the Micam footwear exhibition in Milan on September 18 that he expected a decision in a few weeks.He said: “We’re convinced we have good arguments and that we’ll be able to continue this fight.

”Others in the footwear industry, especially in the sports footwear segment, have lobbied intensely for the anti-dumping tariffs—16.5% on exports from China and 10% on those from Vietnam—to be lifted as it would make it cheaper for them to bring their shoes, made by outsource manufacturing partners in Asia, into the European market.

Published on 1 September 2010