European Union news and archive

European textile federations call on the EU for "urgent action" against ultra fast fashion

Paris - "Without delay", "immediately": European textile and clothing companies "can no longer wait years for measures to be taken against ultra fast fashion", they write in a joint letter to the European Commission. Fashion and textile players are growing impatient with the slow legislative response to Shein, Temu and AliExpress. These large...

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France urges EU to delist non-compliant ecommerce platforms

Paris - The French government is urging the European Commission to swiftly adopt new powers that would allow it to "delist" online sales platforms that violate EU laws. According to a letter from Minister Véronique Louwagie, obtained by AFP, this measure is primarily aimed at companies like Shein. Louwagie wrote to European Commissioner for...

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US-EU Ttade agreement reached, aims for stability amidst uncertainty

Madrid – After months of intensive negotiations, representatives from the United States government and the European Union have successfully concluded a new trade and tariff agreement. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen hailed the pact, stating it "creates certainty in uncertain times" and offers "stability and predictability for...

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Global apparel exports: EU displaces China from top spot

For the first time since 2005, China was not the world's leading apparel exporter last year. This is according to a report by the trade magazine “The Spin Off”, which refers to current data from the World Trade Organization (WTO). According to the report, European Union (EU) member states exported apparel worth a total of 166 billion dollars in...

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EU and Japan agree on closer cooperation

Japan and the European Union (EU) aim to further strengthen their cooperation in the areas of economic security, trade and defence. For this purpose, both sides launched a "Competitiveness Alliance" at a summit meeting in Tokyo. "We will expand our cooperation on increasing the resilience of supply chains and reducing strategic dependencies," a...

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France and Italy to collaborate on 'Made in Europe' initiative

Paris - French Economy Minister Eric Lombard and Industry Minister Marc Ferracci are scheduled to meet with Italian Minister for Businesses Adolfo Urso in Paris on Thursday. The objective of this meeting is to establish common ground regarding the challenges facing the European industry and the concept of "Made in Europe." The French ministers'...

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Fashion

Sweden eases clothing recycling due to overload in treatment centres

Stockholm – From October, Sweden will no longer be obligated to recycle clothes, despite European legislation, as textile waste treatment centres are overflowing, the government announced on Thursday, May 8, 2024. This decision, effective from October first, comes after the European Union imposed on member countries the requirement to have a...

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E-commerce: Belgium faces "tsunami" of parcels from China

Brussels (Belgium) - A Belgian economic body believes that Belgium is facing a "tsunami" of small parcels sent by major players in Chinese e-commerce. It has stated that Belgium must urge the European Union to accelerate its customs reform, according to an opinion obtained on Thursday by AFP. The EU has been working for two years on a customs...

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Counterfeits, dangerous products: AliExpress threatened with EU fine

The European Commission on Wednesday took a significant step towards imposing a substantial fine on Chinese e-commerce giant AliExpress. The Commission preliminarily found that AliExpress has not adequately managed risks related to the sale of illegal products, despite numerous improvements. The Brussels-based regulator, acting as the EU’s...

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European Commission investigates Nike’s tax status in the Netherlands

The European Commission has launched an in-depth investigation into Nike’s tax arrangements in the Netherlands, looking to examine whether the country’s tax administration body, Belastingdienst, has given the sportswear giant an unfair advantage over its competitors. Between 2006 and 2015, Dutch authorities issued five tax rulings, two of which...

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More than 30 textile chemicals to be restricted in the EU

The European textile industry has until December 2020 to comply to a new EU regulation restricting the use of 33 chemicals which are classified as carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic for reproduction, including benzene, formaldehyde and heavy metals. These substances are either used to confer certain properties to textiles or remain in fabrics as a...

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Jean-François Limantour: “The EU favors Asian countries over the Maghreb”

With a resumé that includes experience as General Representative, both at the French Union of the Fashion and Apparel Industries and the European Association of the Apparel Industry, Jean-François Limantour has been an eye-witness to many geopolitical changes that have transformed the sector. During an in person interview with FashionUnited, he...