European footwear industry deeply disappointed with Germany's sudden change in anti-dumping duties on footwear

The European Footwear Union is very disappointed to point out that following Austria and Malta, Germany has decided not to cast a crucial vote on whether to prolong the anti-dumping duties on shoes in China and Vietnam.

Germany has announced its opposition to extension of anti-dumping duties. However, it was later decided to abstain from voting because the anti-dumping duty will end within 15 months, although the European Commission admitted that this situation is not legally guaranteed.

Manfred Junkert, chairman of the German Federation of Footwear Industries, said that this sudden U-turn is a disaster for those who care about European business and European consumers. From a wider perspective, it is more important to Europe. The status is unfavorable. It has caused serious questions about the implementation of EU trade laws and policies during the economic crisis.

He said it is unclear what causes this sudden U-turn. The conclusion drawn by the industry can only be that some European Union member states, like the European Commission, succumbed to the pressure of the European protection lobby groups. Germany and Austria also inexplicably disregarded the opinions of their domestic footwear industry, and the footwear industry clearly opposed the extension of anti-dumping duties.

If the anti-dumping duty is extended for another 15 months, European consumers and businesses will again bear the cost of millions of euros. The total anti-dumping tax will exceed 1 billion euros, and no one will benefit. Vietnam's imports from China were replaced by imports from other third countries, and there would not be a job in the footwear industry returning to Europe.

This is deeply regrettable. Extending the anti-dumping duties will endanger the EU's good relations with major emerging markets. At this time, European footwear manufacturers have just begun to launch full commercial potential. As we all know, China strongly opposes the levy of footwear taxes, and China is brewing the possibility of taking action at the WTO. Domestic manufacturers have exerted tremendous pressure to curb a large number of high-grade imported products from Europe and do not rule out possible retaliatory measures.