The Global Textile and Clothing Industry post the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing

After more than forty years of import quotas, the textile and clothing sector will become subject to the general rules of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade from 1 January, 2005. Liberalisation has been controversial because both textiles and clothing contribute to employment in developed countries, particularly in regions where alternative jobs may be difficult to find. In the European Union, for example, the sector is dominated by small and medium-sized enterprises concentrated in a number of regions that are highly dependent on this sector that is able to adjust to changing market conditions. The objective of this paper is to assess the likely impact of liberalisation.