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

FINAL CONCLUSIONS OF WORLD TEXTILE AND CLOTHING CONFERENCE – HORIZON 2005

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Geneva on 21st and 22nd of September was the venue for a meeting of representatives of the Textile and Clothing industry of 36* countries heavily involved in the manufacture and trade of textiles and clothing. These countries represent developing and developed countries from all over the world.

Participants were unanimous in calling for closed markets to be opened and for the removal of all non-tariff barriers.

They also reached broad agreement that market access negotiations in the Doha Round should be based on a sectoral approach starting from tariffs that are currently being applied to reach resultant bound levels in the WTO.

Representatives also recognised the need for a proper application of the TRIPs agreement and enforcement of intellectual property rights in terms of trademarks, brands, designs and models, and called for more effective action against fraud and counterfeiting, without hampering moves towards trade facilitation within the context of WTO.

They concluded that WTO should ensure that trade instruments such as anti-dumping be capable of effective implementation in the event of genuine cases of unfair trade practises. As responsible manufacturers and traders, all participants also recognised the need to implement ethical, social and environmental standards.

All participants noted that 2005 and the end of the quota system on textiles and clothing trade would represent a challenge to them either as exporting or importing nations. In this context they agreed to meet again prior to the next WTO Ministerial meeting in Cancun, Mexico in order to further advance these issues as the WTO negotiations progress. With that occasion in mind they were unanimous in expressing the hope that representatives from China and other countries be in a position to attend.


* Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cyprus, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, Romania, Turkey, USA together with the countries of the European Union and Estonia, Czech Republic, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and Switzerland (all of whom are members of Euratex- the European Apparel and Textile Organisation- at whose initiative the meeting took place).

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 Norway, Switzerland, 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