A European court has rejected an appeal by a number of Hong Kong and China-based shoemakers against import duties levied by the European Commission on shoes originating form China and Vietnam.
“The adoption of anti-dumping duties is not a penalty for earlier behaviour but a protective and preventive measure against unfair competition resulting from dumping practices,” the EU’s second-highest court ruled.
The European Commission imposed the duties in 2006, following a complaint by European manufacturers who argued that they were unable to compete with shoes dumped in the European market by low-cost producers in China and Vietnam.
European Union ministers voted in December to extend the import duties for another 15 months, while Beijing launched a dispute at the World Trade Organization last month over the EU tariffs, claiming they were illegal.
