EU quota system hits Chinese imports

Upwards on two million garments of clothing, destined for the Irish market, which originated in China are being stored in warehouses across the continent, because of a new EU quota on textiles.

Ireland isn’t the only country affected by the new quota scheme, which was introduced by Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson in June.
The quotas, which were brought in to protect textile manufacturers, particularly in southern Europe, were implemented in July.

However, due to the enormous volumes of textiles coming into Europe from China, quotas for 2005 were swallowed up in a matter of weeks.

The quota system leaves importers with the problem that goods they have already bought and paid for are barred from entering Europe.
Six categories of textiles from China are currently subject to the embargo and it has been estimated that up to 70 million items of clothing are being stored in warehouse across Europe.