Brussels, 30/01/2004 (Agence Europe) - Following an oral question from Concepció Ferrer (PPE-DE, Spain), Nicholas Clegg (ELDR, United Kingdom) and Eryl McNally (PSE, UK), on 29 January the EP adopted a resolution in which it supports the position set down in the Commission's communication on the clothing and textile industry in an enlarged EU (see EUROPE of 29 October 2003, p. 5). Noting the changes the sector is undergoing, the ministers underlined the importance of supporting SMEs and strengthening controls on intellectual property.
The Commission's communication presented ways of strengthening competitivity within the clothing and textile industry in the EU as it prepares for the total abolition of import quotas. From 1 January 2005, the European textile industry will be subjected to the same rules on import and trade as any other industry. Furthermore, the enlargement of the EU will also contribute to the upheaval within the sector adding 500,000 people to the workforce it currently employs and which already accounts for 2,100,000 people.
As SMEs constitute a large proportion of firms within the clothing and textile industry, the EP invited the Commission and the Member States to set up specific and “indicative” aid programmes aimed at encouraging these firms to invest in research and development and non technological innovation. The EP also requested that the various competent authorities envisage introducing measures aimed at informing and supporting SMEs to protect their industrial property rights, particularly as regards brands and designs. Moreover, the EP invited the Commission to prepare a Community programme equipped with the necessary resources for the clothing and textile industry, particularly in the least affluent regions which are dependent on this sector. The programme should include support for research, innovation, professional training and SMEs.
Furthermore, the EP considers that the opening of international textile trade should bring a certain number of opportunities for growth, but should also increase imports of inexpensive textiles coming from the EU's main competitors, starting with China and developing countries. In this context, it considers it essential that a reform of trade defence mechanisms is developed in order to encourage greater efficiency and flexibility. It identifies a need to develop a quick, clear and transparent procedure relating to the WTO's general protection clauses and in particular the special clauses that apply to China within the context of the Protocol on China's membership of the WTO.
The Parliament is particularly worried about the protection of intellectual property in production of goods, and it has insisted on stricter customs controls and better international cooperation to fight against pirating and counterfeit. It suggested setting up surveillance and information networks in order to identify and eliminate the sources of counterfeit.
The Parliament also underlined the importance of introducing measures to encourage consumption of manufactured goods in conditions allowing for information to be available on the respect of workers' fundamental rights and respect for the environment. It was in favour of a labelling system which would enable the consumer to identify the origin of products in a non-discriminatory way, and subscribed to the idea of creating a "made in Europe" label (but many ministers were against this: NDLR).
Finally, the EP indicated that most of the strategies proposed in the communication could be applied to other traditional manufacturing sectors such as ceramics, shoes and the leather industry which face globalisation, and it invited the Commission to learn from this.