EU members reject duties on Chinese, Vietnamese shoes

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BRUSSELS, Sept 18 (AFP): EU member states dealt a setback yesterday to plans to extend anti-dumping duties on Chinese and Vietnamese-made leather shoes, an official and a diplomat said.
In a non-binding decision, member states rejected the proposal from the European Commission 15 to 12, according to the diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The anti-dumping measures were introduced in 2006 to combat an influx of leather shoes into Europe from the two Asian countries that Brussels said unfairly benefited from state aid.
"We are going to have to digest the decision," a commission official said after the vote.
Consumer and some business organisations welcomed the rejection, saying that it sent a strong signal that there was little support in Europe for renewing the duties.
"Now we expect a clear signal from the commission that the duties will expire," said Xavier Durieu, secretary general of the Eurocommerce business and trade lobby.
"These duties have been in place already for too long. They did not help anybody," said Monique Goyens, director general of the BEUC consumers association.