That plan by EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson, like the one rejected last week, made a concession to Italy by subjecting children's leather shoes to the proposed anti-dumping duties. Mandelson backed down after Italian manufacturers filed a court case against the exclusion of children's footwear under the provisional duties.
European shoe retailers representing companies such as Adidas AG, Puma AG and C&J Clark have argued that duties on Chinese and Vietnamese footwear will cost consumers as much as 150 million euros in higher footwear costs.
Europe's 8,000 leather-shoe manufacturers, some of which employ fewer than 10 people, cite the threat of job losses. These concerns are strongest in Italy, Portugal and Spain, where four-fifths of EU leather shoes are produced.
Under EU rules, the commission can impose provisional anti-dumping duties for six months and the bloc's national governments can turn those measures into "definitive" five-year levies at the same or different rates. Definitive measures require the backing of a majority of EU nations.
Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China
marketing@alchempro.com
