Today the European Commission Anti-dumping Advisory Committee (ADC) rejected the European Commission’s proposal for a 15 month extension to the anti-dumping duties currently in place for leather footwear from China and Vietnam. The ADC is made up of Member State representatives responsible for trade defence issues, typically these would be officials from each country’s ministry of finance or the economy.

Unfortunately this vote was at the technical level and it means that the Commission will redouble its efforts to push this through at the Council of Member States (Council). It is however important to note that the representatives on the ADC Committee will have received their voting instructions direct from the ministers responsible for trade issues and hence it gives us some indication as to how they will be prepared to vote at Council. The Commission will undoubtedly put pressure on Member States to change their voting on the issue and the EOG, along with FESI and the European Footwear Alliance, will keep the pressure on over the next five to six weeks to encourage the Ministers to continue to vote against the extension at the Council meeting.

In short the case cannot be won at the ADC level but it would have been lost had Member States decided to accept the proposal so the decision is good news.