Textiel- en kledingindustrie verwerpt Lamy akkoord Pakistan

Niet alleen onze branche moet concessies doen inzake EU handelsbelemmeringen, aldus Jean de Jaegher van Euratex. Sinds de oorlog in Afganistan worden de economische versoepelingen in het kader van landen die drugsbestrijding uitvoeren, opgevoerd. De textiel- en kledingindustrie wil niet gebruikt worden als offer binnen de EU om Pakistaanse export te bevorderen. Als de lidstaten en het Europees Parlement ermee zouden instemmen, profiteert Pakistan op twee manieren. Ten eerste zou vanaf 1 januari een importheffing van 7 procent op kleding verdwijnen. Lamy becijferde dat voordeel op 150 miljoen euro (f 330 miljoen) per jaar. Bovendien zou Pakistan, tot eind 2004, jaarlijks 15 procent meer textiel en kleding mogen uitvoeren naar de unie. Dat voordeel kan oplopen tot een miljard euro. In ruil daarvoor verleent Pakistan soortgelijke concessies aan de Europese Unie, waardoor torenhoge invoerrechten (oplopend tot 70 procent) op textiel en kleding voorgoed tot het verleden gaan behoren. De afspraken worden immers aangemeld bij de Wereldhandelsorganisatie (WTO) waardoor ze een permanent karakter krijgen.

TEXTILE AND CLOTHING INDUSTRY REJECTS LAMY DEAL WITH PAKISTAN. Sacrifice must be borne by EU economy as a whole, not by one industry alone, insists European industry President, Jean de Jaegher. Vienna, 19th October 2001. The Board of Directors of Euratex*, meeting in Vienna on October 19th, severely criticised and rejected the EU's proposed trade package for Pakistan, announced by the Commission on 16th October. "This is a flagrant example of European textile and clothing interests being sacrificed to serve a wider purpose" stated Euratex President Jean de Jaegher after the meeting. " We will combat this deal by all available means; it impacts almost exclusively upon textiles and clothing, and makes no effort to spread the burden across the EU economy as a whole". Under the agreement with Pakistan, the EU has committed itself to raise all Pakistan's textile and clothing quotas by 15%, involving an additional 40.000 tonnes of imports into the EU per annum until the end of 2004 (when all quotas will in any case be phased out). Special arrangements are also in hand to enable Pakistani exports to benefit from drug-fighting country status under the Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP.) Industry sources indicate that the thousands of additional European job losses over the 3-year period could have been avoided, had member-states gifted Pakistan 3 Euros per head of the EU population. Euratex Director-General, Bill Lakin, regretted that the Commission had sought to dress up the transaction as a reciprocal market access agreement based on the Council Mandate of 9th November 2001. "We have consistently stated that we are prepared, under conditions of genuine reciprocity, to improve overseas' exporters' access to the EU market. But the agreement initialled with Pakistan guarantees that country a further 40.000 tonnes per year, and provides nothing in return. Our export opportunities to that closed market remain as barren as they have always been" The Euratex Board will insist on guarantees from Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy and EU member-states that there will be no repeat of this week's events with other exporting nations, nor at the forthcoming WTO Ministerial meeting. "The EU's textiles and clothing market access policy is in tatters following the proposed deal with Pakistan" said Jean de Jaegher. " There can be no question of any concessions until our overseas partners, including Pakistan, have demonstrated that their markets are genuinely open to European exports." *Euratex represents the textile and clothing industries of the European Union and of candidate countries for membership of the Union. For further information contact: William LAKIN Phone : 32.2.285.48.82 William.lakin@euratex.org euratex.org {metakey} Euratex /metakey}