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Northern EU countries oppose tariffs on shoe imports
All Northern European Union countries have agreed to abolish anti-dumping taxes imposed on shoes imported from Vietnam and China , reported the Fashionunited.com newspaper on Nov. 3.
According to the online newspaper, the protestors against the penalties are the Netherlands , Germany , Sweden , the UK , Luxemburg , Denmark , Finland and Ireland .
The Netherlands said that the penalties limited the consumer’s choice and the rise in the price of leather shoes has resulted in job losses.
Germany also strongly opposes the anti-dumping tax as the country does not have a substantial domestic shoe industry and most retailers and globally famous brands such as Adidas and Puma all import their products from Asia.
Meanwhile, countries in Southern Europe such as Italy, Spain and Portugal had proposed to retain the taxes.
The final decision is now in the hands of the countries that remain unclear about how they will vote such as Austria, Slovenia, Malta, Cyprus, France and some of the Eastern European countries.
The regulations were due to end in 2008 , but after the European Union held discussions on the issue, they were extended by another year.
The Belgian newspaper ‘De Standaard’ has forecast that the same move might occur again this year. The newspaper cited a document from the European Commission, saying that European shoe manufacturers will suffer by abolishing the regulations in the short and medium terms. Subsequently they have been given extra time to make the necessary changes.
Earlier, the Topnews website on Oct. 9 quoted a source from Belgium saying that the EU plans to extend the tariffs on Vietnamese and Chinese leather shoes for another 15 months.
Research is currently taking place into the knock-on effects of abolishing the charges. The EU countries will decide on the future of the levy as soon as the research has been completed, probably by the end of this year. The charges will remain in force for as long as the research is underway.
The EU has imposed a 16.5 percent charge on the import price of Chinese shoes and 10 percent on Vietnamese shoes since 2006.
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