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EU members reject duties on Vietnam shoes
Anti-dumping duties applied to Vietnamese leather shoes in the European Union may be lifted after a majority of member states voted against its extension, the Vietnam’s Trade Office in Belgium said Thursday.
The official said 15 of 27 member states voted against a plan to extend the anti-dumping duties at a meeting on Wednesday.
The decision, which is not binding, puts pressure on EU trade chief Peter Mandelson to drop the tax. European shoe-making countries, led by its largest shoe producer, Italy, are pushing for a review of the duties, a procedure that could extend the application of the taxes for up to 15 months.
The EU anti-dumping measures, which were originally imposed for two years, include import duties of 10 percent on Vietnamese shoes with leather uppers and 16.5 percent on the same kind of shoes from China. The duties are due to expire in October.
In June, Italy’s Shoe Manufacturer's Association told the European Commission shoe imports from Vietnam and China were still hurting its members and the national industry.
On Wednesday, the Federation of the European Sporting Goods Industry, which includes shoemakers Adidas, Nike, Asics, Diadora, Fila, Lotto and Puma, called on the commission to reconsider the duties which the association said was inflating shoe prices in the EU and hurting the European shoe industry.
Vietnam’s Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Le Danh Vinh said at a press briefing in Brussels on Monday that local businesses were not dumping goods in the EU. Vinh said the duties were unfair and impeding international trade.
The Vietnamese deputy minister said the commission should let the measures, which impact 40,000 Vietnamese workers, expire as scheduled from October 7.
While under investigation for dumping, Vietnam exported about 102 million pairs of leather shoes in 2005 to 2006. Exports reduced by 10 percent to 91 million pairs in 2007 because the duties made Vietnamese shoes less competitive in EU markets, according to the Vietnam Leather and Footwear Association.
Thanhnien
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