The Miracle of the “Free Market”

…Shoe imports to Europe surged by 700 percent during the first three months of 2005 as textile trade barriers came tumbling down. Italian shoe exports slumped 15 percent by volume during the first quarter, more than twice the decline posted in 2004. The Italian footwear association ANCI said 900,000 jobs in Europe are at risk, a third of them in Italy.

…“This production is not going to move to the EU. It is going to move from China and Vietnam to Indonesia, to Thailand, to India, to Laos. It is not going to move back to southern Europe. This is the biggest misunderstanding of all.”

Mikael Thinghuus, Deputy Managing Director and COO, Ecco Sko A/S, Bredebro, Denmark.

Aoife White, “Eu Weighs Action On Cheap Shoe Imports,” AP, 12/11/05.