European Apparel and Textile Organisation
24 rue Montoyer – B – 1000  Brussels
phone: + 32.2.285.48.81 – Fax : +32.2.230.60.54
e:mail : william.lakin@euratex.org
Web-site : www.euratex.org

WORLD'S TEXTILE AND CLOTHING INDUSTRY LEADERS
TO MEET IN GENEVA

__________________

Representatives from developed and developing countries
to discuss issues of market access

Geneva, September 10, 2002 … Leaders of major independent trade associations from important textile and clothing producing nations in membership of the World Trade Organization will meet in Geneva September 21 / 22 to discuss and exchange views on issues related to market access and the end of the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing. The first-ever meeting of major textile and apparel industries from importing and exporting countries alike, being held at the initiative of Euratex (the European Apparel and Textile Organisation), will provide participants with an opportunity to assess the implications for the industry worldwide of negotiations currently underway as part of the new WTO trade round relating to tariff and non-tariff barriers for textile and clothing products. Around 70 representatives from more than 30 trade associations are expected to attend the international conference in Geneva.

Delegates to the Geneva conference are expected to present their views and perspectives on market access and associated issues that will have a major impact on the future shape of the world's textile and clothing industries. They will be examining the challenges posed by the WTO's Doha Development Agenda , issues of market access through to and beyond the expiry of the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing (ATC) end 2004, and the nature of the global trading environment for the industry from 2005 onwards. It is anticipated that the conference delegates will attempt to arrive at a consensus on the challenges facing the industry as well as identifying means to manage them.

Welcoming the high level of attendance at the conference, Bill Lakin, Director-General of Euratex, said: "As the Doha Development Round gets under way, it is crucial that the major textile and clothing industries from WTO Member-States examine together the challenges posed by the trade negotiations. We need to identify the issues, determine our positions on them, and define our expectations for the Doha Round. We also need to ensure that any joint concerns we may have, whether relating to market access or other areas covered by the negotiations, are communicated to WTO Member-States and are properly reflected as the talks within the WTO progress. "

Trade in the world's textile and clothing industries in 2000 was estimated to be worth two hundred and ninety billion US dollars. Employment in the industry worldwide is conservatively estimated at around 30 million people.

About Euratex

Euratex, the European Apparel and Textile Organisation, represents the interests of Europe's textile and clothing industry. It expresses the views of that industry to the European Commission and to the European Parliament on behalf of 114,000 companies in the European Union which employed close to 2.2 million workers in 2001. Today, Euratex concerns itself principally with external trade, intellectual property, the environment and R & D. In addition to its members in the EU, Euratex also has members in Turkey and a majority of CEEC candidate countries. The current President of Euratex is Filiep Libeert (Belgium).

For further information contact:

William LAKIN                                                            Francesco MARCHI
Director General                                                         Director Economic Affairs
Phone : 32.2.285.48.82                                                32.2.285.48.92
William.lakin@euratex.org                                       Francesco.marchi@euratex.org