Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-02-02-Speech-1-088"
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"en.20090202.15.1-088"2
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"Madam President, it is understandable in this climate that there is concern about the success of manufacturing in the face of competition, and of course textiles are very important. Employment has continued to drop and production has fallen again – and that is after a couple of years of relative stability. Of course the sector is at the cutting edge of globalisation. Small and medium-sized enterprises play a huge part in this.
Following the end of the Memorandum of Understanding in 2005, we did have the agreement on the joint surveillance system – to which Mrs Wortmann-Kool drew our attention – and it has given us early information about trade flows. We are therefore better able to react in the event of being faced with a sudden surge in our industry. It is also a further step in the transition to open markets designed and developed – as I am sure Members know – with the economic players concerned and in discussion with Member States and with Parliament. By promoting a process of gradual change, we have helped the sector adapt. That has been supported by the social partners. They did not ask for an extension of the voluntary growth levels under the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) when it ended in 2008, nor have they been asking for a continuation of the surveillance system into 2009 – though I appreciate that some Member States would have preferred us to do so. Imports from China have increased overall, but within reasonable limits. Significant increases in some categories – such as for example dresses, trousers and pullovers – have been balanced by drops in textile imports from suppliers in other countries. So, overall in 2008, only a slight overall increase was realised and markets have absorbed that reasonably well.
The right political responses are not to close our markets or monitoring of the imports. We need to ensure that all businesses can change, adapt, trade and innovate out of current conditions. It is precisely to help businesses like this that the economic recovery plan was endorsed. That, of course, represents a huge boost of 1.5% of EU GDP, which should help the textile and clothing sector. The challenges for the sector predate the current slowdown. Eight of the fifteen applications under the Globalisation Adjustment Fund have been to support textile workers.
The Commission is ready to support initiatives to set up partnerships in the textile and clothing sector designed to anticipate restructuring with the aim of protecting employment and, overall, the sector benefits from the fact that there is a long-standing framework for social dialogue. We welcome Parliament’s resolution on the future of the textile sector. We move forward in market access, in funds from the Lead Market Initiative, and in every free trade agreement, as causes dedicated to environmental and social standards. Of course currency devaluation remains on our agenda."@en1
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