New Assocal president outlines footwear’s importance to Europe
The new president of the Italian footwear manufacturers association Assocalzaturifici met European Union Parliament members to discuss trade policies and access to international markets for SMEs.
More than 80% of footwear made in Italy is exported and many companies have weathered the economic crisis thanks to their exports, said Annarita Pilotti, who viewed the meeting as an opportunity to give the MEPs a overview of the industry.
She said: "The Italian footwear industry consists of around 6,000 enterprises employing 80,000 people. An important sector, therefore, which needs European policies that ensure our businesses have access to markets, by taking more forceful action during bilateral negotiations with the most important strategic areas such as Mercosur, which is in effect a closed trade area due to its tough tariff and non-tariff barriers; or the Unites States, our third largest market, where it is necessary to align normative and certification standards and cut customs duties, which make the footwear industry the most penalised of the ‘made in Italy’ sectors.
“With Japan, too, there is a trade imbalance which is hard to comprehend: an import quota regime controlled by the domestic distribution system imposes prohibitive duties over the annual threshold set by the government.”
She added that the association hopes the Trade and Investment Partnership Agreement (TTIP) between the US and European Union will be signed as soon as possible.
Image: Courtesy of Micam
