EU footwear retailers are warning of the adverse effects of the possible EU anti-dumping measures aimed at China and Vietnam.

"Well over 10,000 jobs will be in jeopardy in Europe if the EU's anti-dumping measures against China and Vietnam are enacted. The last thing European consumers need is rising prices for daily necessities such as footwear, not to mention a reduced selection of products. And recent events in the textile industry have shown where protectionism can lead," noted Footwear Association of Importers and Retailchains (FAIR) president Mr. Paul Verrips.

FAIR represents the interests of over 90 European footwear importers and retailers that employ approximately 80,000 people and accounts for 40% of the EU's shoe imports.

"Asian imports pose no real threat to the European footwear industry. Only a handful of footwear manufacturers still realise the entirety of their production in Europe. These companies are mainly family-owned SMEs that specialise in the kind of high quality and/or niche products that are not produced in China or Vietnam at all," Mr. Verrips pointed out.

"The lion's share of the European footwear industry moved its production activities offshore a number of years ago," he noted. "Only the final assembly process is often still done in Europe nowadays. Affordable shoes are unlikely ever to be made in Europe again."

According to a statement from FAIR, another problem faced by the European shoe industry is that the remaining plants would be unable to make up for the production shortfalls that would result from the EU's envisaged anti-dumping measures. This would translate into a reduced selection for consumers in the short and medium term, accompanied by substantial increases in retail prices.