Bra wars ceasefire
The so-called bra wars may not be entirely resolved, but there is now a ceasefire in the form of an agreement between China and the EU. If approved by EU members, the goods which have been blocked from entering Europes ports and borders could be released and counting against 2006 quotas.
Belfast plans to invest £106m in improving facilities over the next five years.
At time of press the deal still has to be agreed by the 25 EU member states, which are split over the effects of the quotas. South and eastern European producers fear their business will be wiped out, but retailers say they risk empty racks. The EU quotas were announced in June to stem a huge surge in Chinese imports at the start of this year, which followed the end of a worldwide, decadesold textile tariff and quota system. But as soon as the quotas were announced, retailers and wholesalers rushed to order supplies from China before the 12 July introduction – with the limits reached, clothing chaos ensued with containers backed up in ports around Europe.
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