A European Commission (EC) delegation is visiting Vietnam to make inquiries and hold discussions with local relevant parities regarding a number of issues related to anti-dumping duties imposed on Vietnam leather shoes.
Stefaan Depypere, the EC’s Trade Defence Directorate, told a press briefing in Hanoi Nov 13 that his directorate would make an objective announcement following discussions with European leather and shoe producers, as well as manufacturers, exporters and other concerned agencies in Vietnam.
According to the EC trade official, the review would be conducted at any out of a total of 450 local shoe businesses. The European Union member states will then make a decision on the possibility of lifting the anti-dumping tariffs.
The EC last month decided to continue reviewing the current anti-dumping measures on Vietnamese leather shoes for 12-15 months. Two years ago, the EC imposed a duty of 10 per cent on Vietnamese footwear. Stefann, however, said the review may be shorter, with a proposal being made in 8-9 months.
Vietnam Leather and Footwear Association (Lefaso)’s Chairman Nguyen Van Thuan said that Lefaso has officially lodged a document opposing the imposition of anti-dumping duties on Vietnamese leather shoes.
The anti-dumping taxes have had a negative impact on the employment status of 500,000 local workers and the leather footwear industry as a whole, Thuan said.
Over 120 million pairs of leather shoes were exported to the EU in 2005, but this number fell to 107 million pairs in 2006 and slumped further to 91 million pairs in 2007 due to the anti-dumping measures.
In August 2008, Lefaso invited a Belgian law firm to help them argue their case.
Late last year, the EC also decided to remove Vietnamese footwear from its generalized system of preferences (GSP) for the 2009-2011 period. (VNA, Vietnam Economic Times)
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