FESI calls for sports footwear to be excluded from EU probe
Following the European Commission’s decision to launch an anti-dumping investigation into imports of footwear with leather uppers from Vietnam and China, the Federation of the European Sporting Goods Industry (FESI) is calling for the exemption of sports footwear (training shoes, basketball shoes, etc.) with Special Technology (STAF -Special Technology .Athletic Footwear).
“FESI members, including the well-known brands, produce footwear that incorporates special technology and there is no significant quantity of like production of these shoes in the EU,” said Mr Karl Sedlmeyer, Chair of the FESI Trade and Customs committee. “This has consistently been recognised by the European Commission, from the origin of the definition in 1994 to the exemption of STAF from the surveillance measures introduced following the end of quotas last year and including the former anti-dumping proceeding concerning certain footwear with leather or synthetic uppers originating in the People’s Republic of
He added, “Even if a broader product analysis is made, STAF pricing is typically higher than that of the footwear industry producing in the EU. This points to the fact that STAF cannot cause injury to the EU footwear industry, as defined by EU anti-dumping legislation. The EU footwear industry is merely looking for further protection from the European Commission following the end of quotas for footwear from
