EU votes on anti-dumping duties

According to a diplomatic source, the European Union has adopted, by the narrowest of margins, new anti-dumping measures against imports of leather shoes from China and Vietnam. The vote, taken on 4 October, resulted in a 13 to 12 majority in the 25-nation European Union. New anti-dumping measures will now come into force on October 7, with import duties of 16.5% on Chinese shoes with leather uppers, in place of the current temporary duty of 19.4%. For Vietnam, the tariff will be set at 10% in place of the temporary duty of 16.8%. The vote had been regarded as urgent as the temporary tariffs were due to expire on 5 October. The divide between the 25 EU members forced France to suggest that the duration of the penalty be reduced from five to two years. Nine countries voted in favour of the two-year duration and 12 maintained their position. This meant that the votes from remaining four countries, who abstained during the vote, were seen as being in favour of the proposal as they did not oppose it. Brussels stressed that the tariffs will only apply to shoes with leather uppers which account for around one in ten pairs sold in the European Union. Source: [http://www.turkishpress.com]