Printable Version European Commission and China agree procedures to monitor transition from quota system to fully liberalised trade for textile products

 

In 2005 all restrictions according to the WTO Agreement on Textiles and Clothing on imports of textiles into the EU from China were lifted, but the EU continued to impose quotas on ten categories of textile products according to the Shanghai Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

 

For the period 1^st January-31^st December 2008 all such restrictions have been replaced by a double-checking surveillance system whereby

 

(a)   Both China and the EU verify the quantity of goods being shipped although no actual quota limit will be applied; and

 

(b)   China acknowledges its shared responsibility with the EU for ensuring a smooth transition to a fully liberalised textile trade.

Eight textile product categories are involved:

 

Category 4        -           T-shirts

Category 5        -           Pullovers

Category 6        -           Trousers

Category 7        -           Blouses

Category 20       -           Bed linen

Category 26       -           Dresses

Category 31       -           Brassieres

Category 115     -           Flax or Ramie yarn

 

The new system requires:

 

(a)   The mandatory provision of an Original Export License and Certificate of Origin (COO) for all such imports into the EU that are of Chinese origin (wherever they are shipped from);

 

(b)   The issue of an import authorization against the export license of the shipper on arrival of the goods in the EU;

 

(c)   China to monitor exports via its export license system and the EU to monitor imports via its import authorizations

 

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