Seven Actions To Help EU Textiles Industry

The European Commission has announced what it will do to help the EU textile sector ahead of the disappearance of the remaining WTO textiles quotas on 1 January 2005.

Arrived at in response to requests and issues raised by the High Level Group report published in June, the seven action points to be implemented by the Commission are:

  1. Boosting research and innovation.
    To draw up and implement a strategic research agenda, the Commission considers setting up a European Technology Platform. Fostering advanced technology and high value added textiles and clothing under the EU’s R&D Programmes.
  1. Ensuring lifelong education and vocational training.
    To encourage use of the Leonardo da Vinci programme and the European Social Fund to provide for adaptation to industrial changes and innovative actions in the area of employment.
  1. Structural funds to cover unforeseen crises.
    To help the sector restructure, modernise, cover the consequences of the trade opening and to mitigate the socio-economic impact on regions with high concentration of textiles industry.
  1. Strengthening fight against counterfeiting and piracy.
    Creation of a user-friendly European website on intellectual property rights and disseminate information through seminars and networking, in particular for SMEs.
  1. Opening markets.
    To improve European industry access to third countries and eliminate non-tariff barriers will be conducted as part of the on-going WTO negotiations. A task force of Commission and industry will identify and prioritise obstacles, but at the same time the Commission also proposes to enhance access for developing countries to the EU market, focusing on the poorest and more vulnerable.
  1. Rapid completion of the Euro-Mediterranean zone.
    Encourage conclusion of agreements between all Euromed partners including the same rules of origin so that cumulation of origin can take place as soon as the agreements have been initialled.
  1. Strengthening co-operation with China.
    Use the recently established EU-China textiles dialogue and the setting up of a monitoring of Chinese imports to ensure a smooth transition to a quota-free system as from 1 January 2005.

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