EU Scraps Anti-dumping Tariffs on Vietnam Shoes

The European Union's anti-dumping tariffs on leather shoes exported from Vietnam will expire at the end of March, following decision to do away with the four-year duties.

So, the industry has revised its export target this year to US$5.5 billion, up $300 million against last year, with more shoe making contracts expected to return to Vietnam.

Vietnam's trade mission to the EU, Belgium and Luxembourg quoted the European Commission spokesman John Clancy as saying: "Given that the European shoemakers' association has publicly stated that it has not applied for an extension of the duties on certain Chinese and Vietnamese shoes, it's therefore very clear to everyone that the current measures in place will expire on April 1".

The Vietnam Leather and Footwear Association (Lefaso) has been informed about the issue by the European Commission, Lefaso chairman Nguyen Duc Thuan told Tuoi Tre.

The announcement was made after European Confederation of Footwear Industries, Europe's largest shoemakers' association, withdrew its petition for an extension of the tariffs.

The EC first imposed an anti-dumping tariff of 10 percent on Vietnamese and 16.5 percent on Chinese leather shoes in October 2006 after European shoemakers complained they were unable to compete against low-cost products from the two nations.

This scaled down Vietnamese shoes' market share in the EU to 10 percent from 15 percent in 2005.

The tariff, poised to end by the beginning of 2010, was approved for a 15-month extension by EC, though many trade organizations as well as retailers and consumers in Europe protested against these measures.

The tariffs have also split EU member states as many of them described these duties as "protecting" European shoemakers from foreign competitions.

The EU is currently one of the country's largest footwear importers which accounts for over 50 percent of export revenues annually, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade.