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
Joint declaration from EU and Russian textile and clothing industries to the EU-Russian Industrialists Round-Table ahead of the meeting in Moscou 1-2nd December 2003.
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Brussels and Moscow, 26 November 2003
JOINT DECLARATION
FROM EU AND RUSSIAN TEXTILE AND CLOTHING INDUSTRIES TO
THE EU-RUSSIAN INDUSTRIALISTS ROUND-TABLE
Ahead of the meeting in Moscow 1-2nd December 2003
The textile and clothing industries of the EU and Russia in Brussels met on 13th October 2003 in order to discuss matters of common interest ahead of the “EU-Russia Industrialists´ Round Table” meeting in Moscow early December. Both delegations agreed that this was the first of several future meetings that should bolster significantly the EU-Russia economic relationships in the Textile and Clothing Industry.
During the meeting the two industries worked in a positive, constructive and cooperative atmosphere aimed at improving the level of common understanding of the constraints faced by the two partners. Both identified a number of issues to be further studied in order to favour in the long term a safer and transparent economic and investment climate for both sides.
As representatives of the textile and clothing industries in the EU and Russia, EURATEX and its counterpart confirmed their willingness to study and discuss the following issues:
1. EURATEX and the Russian industry underlined the need to simplify custom procedures between the two partners in order to reduce costs of transactions and to speed-up economic and trade relations. In this field the following elements have been identified for early action : [a] reduce the cost of customs clearance for regular outward processing traffic; [b] find an acceptable solution for waste materials following making-up in Russian subcontracting companies; [c] explore ways and means to cut the cost of the custom procedures linked to the import/export licensing system.
2. EURATEX and the Russian industry agreed on the importance to improve compatibility between the CEN standards and the GOST Standards. Both sides view favourably the Russian Government’s intention to adopt international standards by 2010. However both industries agreed to study the possibility to include in the legislation the principle of the self-certification by companies as well as to favour Mutual Recognition of Testing Laboratories Agreements in order to reduce costs and to smooth EU-Russia trade and economic relationships.
3. Both partners agreed to discuss ways and means to reduce the number of non-tariff barriers faced by exporters, while at the same time not jeopardising the need to protect consumers in conformity with the WTO rules.
4. The two industries recognised the need to focus and to better understand the impact that the future EU Chemicals Policy (Reach) will have on the Russian exports towards Europe.
5. A better understanding of the EU and Russian Intellectual Property Rights legislation in the textile and clothing field was considered as paramount for the protection of the interests of both industries in those two markets .
6. Last, but not least European and Russian industries agreed to create a platform aimed at the promotion of a “Grand-pan-European textile and clothing industry base”. In this connection the issue of the preferences granted by the EU to other Eastern European Countries including CIS Republics will be addressed.
The above list is not restrictive and new subjects could be added, once satisfactory proposals has been agreed and submitted to the respective authorities for action.
It was agreed also that the Russian textile and clothing industry would do its utmost to federate in one single voice association all sectors of the Russian textile and clothing industry (from fibres to clothing including technical applications, hone/household applications and carpets). This should strengthen even more the relationships with Euratex while the latter takes note of the very positive interest expressed by the Russian industry to become, in future, a member of its Organisation and supports, in principle, this initiative. On request of the Russian side EURATEX will provide information on membership criteria, conditions and procedures that are usually applied to national associations wishing to become EURATEX members..
Representatives of the two industries will meet as soon as possible and no later than the first quarter of 2004 to find common and agreed recommendation to be submitted, in the framework of the EU-Russian IRT, to their respective authorities.
For further information, contact:
W.H. LAKIN Phone : +32/2/285.48.81
EURATEX Fax : +32/2/230.60.54
Rue Montoyer, 24 website: www.euratex.org
Box 10
1000 - Brussels
Francesco MARCHI Phone : +32/2/285.48.92
EURATEX Fax : +32/2/230.60.54
Rue Montoyer, 24 website: www.euratex.org
Box 10
1000 - Brussels
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Joint Declaration - November 26th 2003
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