Damage to supplier relationships: 'Retailers need long term legal certainty in relationships with suppliers and this will be damaged by the Commission's ill thought out proposal. This certainty is essential to decisions regarding planning and placing orders. Much time and effort has been put by the retail sector in Ireland into locating their suppliers in China and Vietnam.'
'It is difficult to change supplier and much more time than is available will be needed should this be necessary. The impact on suppliers to EU markets must also be taken into account. Retailers and suppliers seek long term relationships, the antithesis of short term interim anti-dumping duties.'
Protectionist proposal: 'Commissioner Mandelson's proposal is protectionist and ignores the fact that EU shoe producers are unable to meet market demand. Last year EU consumers purchased two billion pairs of shoes while the total output of EU shoe producers was 700 million pairs. China and Vietnam alone export 1 billion pairs to the EU.'
Flawed analysis: 'The Commission analysis is flawed because it uses Brazil, one of the most expensive shoe producers, as a comparator country with China. A valid and more representative comparator country, such as Indonesia, would have yielded very different results.'
IBEC works on behalf of business and employers at European level to ensure that European policy is compatible with our own objectives for the development of the Irish economy.
Irish Business and Employers Confederation
marketing@alchempro.com
