Press Release: The Commission challenges other countries to open their textiles and clothing markets as a precondition to wider access to the EU’s own market

At the first Round Table that Trade Commissioner Lamy held with Europe's Textiles and Clothing industry representatives on 14 April 2000, the Commission and industry mapped out the trade policy of the EU in the textiles and clothing sector until the expiry of the quotas under the WTO Marrakech agreements. Their shared assessment of the market access situation world-wide was that, whilst the EU was taking steps to liberalise its imports in accordance with WTO commitments, many other countries - including notably the low-cost exporting countries - still maintain measures that in a number of cases in fact virtually prohibit access to their markets.

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