The producers are planning to require the European Commission (EC) to lengthen the anti-dumping tariff application time, local newspaper Vietnam Investment Review reported.

EU regulations state the 10% anti-dumping tariff levied on Vietnamese shoes exported to the EU market since Oct. 2006, will be automatically removed on Oct. 7, 2008 providing that the EC received no appeals from any of its 27 members by July 7, 2008.

So far, there have been no reports of appeals by EU members, and the deadline has passed. However, the Association of Footwear Producers of Italy has been preparing a formal appeal to the EC, asking the commission to extend the anti-dumping tariff deadline, according to the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Under EU regulations, if the appeal is submitted, the commission will reinvestigate Vietnam’s leather shoes within 15 months, and the anti-dumping tariff will continue to apply during the period. After the review time, the EC will decide to end or extend the anti-dumping tariff application time.

It would be very difficult for local firms to promote shipments to the EU if they were again put under an anti-dumping investigation by the EC which decided to remove Vietnamese shoe firms from the list of their generalized system of preference (GSP)beneficiaries from January 2009, said Bui Son Dung, vice director of the ministry’s Competition Management Department.

Footwear makers in Vietnam exported nearly $2.2 billion worth of the product to the EU market in 2007, up 10.6% against 2006. The ministry has predicted that shoe exports to the EU will grow 7%-8% this year. (Xinhua)