European Union drops footwear dumping charge
By Jiang Wei (China Daily)
Updated: 2006-09-01 09:42
The European Commission adopted a proposal by Trade Commissioner Peter
Mandelson on Wednesday for a 16.5 per cent duty on leather shoes from China and
10 per cent on those from India.
The European Commission said on its
website it found "both dumping and injury to EU producers" in its
investigation.
The proposal has been passed to EU members for a final
vote within a month. If it is passed, it will be effective for five
years.
EU Trade Spokesman Peter Power said: "The commission has fulfilled
its obligations and its responsibilities and has brought forward a sound
proposal. It is now for member states to debate their position among
themselves."
The plan was rejected by a narrow margin in July at the
advisory level.
An earlier "quota plus tariff" proposal by Mandelson was
also rejected by EU members in July.
The European Union launched dumping
charges against Chinese leather shoes last July amid concern that increasing
footwear imports from China would flood its markets and hurt local
shoemakers.
It is the largest market for China in both value and volume,
with an export of US$670 million and providing 4 million jobs.
The
European Union now implements a "phase-in" tariff system on China's leather
shoes as a result of its preliminary ruling on the case.
 | 1 | 2 |
(For more biz stories, please visit Industry Updates)
|
