...Domestic shoes makers yesterday asked the European Commission (EC) to ...
FONTE: vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn
Domestic shoes makers yesterday asked the European Commission (EC) to vacate the ongoing anti-dumping investigation on the import of Vietnamese footwear, and criticised the plaintiffs’ evidence.
In a press briefing yesterday, the Viet Nam Leather and Footwear Association (Lefaso) Deputy Chairman, Nguyen Ngoc Lam, reiterated that local shoe makers have never dumped products in Europe, and therefore should not be subject to the lawsuit.
He said that the arguments of the European Confederation of Footwear Industry (ECFI) and the EC’s conclusion, which rejected the market-economy status of the eight Vietnamese footwear companies named in the investigation, were unreasonable.
He said that these enterprises had been operating under the market-economy mechanism, and that they were accountable for their business results.
Under current laws, the Government does not interfere in enterprises’ business, Lam added.
He said that ECFI’s accusations that Viet Nam was selling leather shoes and hats below factory price by 130 per cent were based on pure statistics.
In addition, 80 per cent of Vietnamese footwear companies are processing goods for foreign counterparts under sub-contracts, hence they are not involved in major production processes and cannot decide export prices, said the association official.
The remaining enterprises who do export directly to the EU are small- and medium- sized companies and are inferior to their European rivals in terms of technology and competitive edge, he said, adding that they were unlikely to destabilise the EU footwear industry.
A European Committee delegation in November concluded a two-month investigation into the operations of eight local footwear companies suspected of violating European anti-dumping laws.
The group’s preliminary findings suggest the companies in question were not operating in a manner conducive to conventional businesses practices of market economies.
The delegation arrived in Viet Nam in September to conduct a comprehensive investigation on the firms involved in the anti-dumping case, following a petition filed in July by ECFI, whose members produce 40 per cent of leather shoes sold in the EU.
An official announcement by the EC is expected next March.
According to the Trade Ministry, the lawsuit had a major impact on the industry as the EU makes up 70 per cent of the country’s shoe exports, and the affected enterprises own up to 60 per cent of industry value. — VNS
