BRUSSELS, Aug 18: European clothing retailers face a further headache after their quota of Chinese-made women’s blouses hit an EU import ceiling on Thursday. Retailers and some governments have already expressed concern after Chinese-made sweaters and trousers were impounded at ports and warehouses as quotas for those categories were exceeded in recent weeks.

The quotas were agreed between Brussels and Beijing in June as a way to slow soaring Chinese clothing imports entering the EU. But the quotas were quickly reached as importers made huge orders ahead of the autumn-winter season.

Data from an EU imports database showed 100 percent of a 2005 quota of nearly 24.8 million Chinese blouses had been cleared for entry into the EU as of Thursday evening. Two further categories — including T-shirts and brassieres — are also close to reaching 100 per cent of their 2005 quotas.

EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson wants to negotiate with China to allow more clothing imports into the bloc, possibly by using some of 2006 quotas in 2005. He is under pressure to relax the restrictions from several countries with strong clothing retail sectors.

On Thursday, four government ministers from the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden and Finland wrote an article in the Financial Times saying there was a risk of job losses and bankruptcies unless the EU eases the curbs on Chinese clothing imports.

And on Wednesday, Germany’s Economy Minister Wolfgang Clement wrote to Mandelson, also calling for a relaxation of the import restrictions.

However, countries with big textile industries of their own, like France, Italy and Spain, are worried they will suffer if Chinese clothing enters the EU on a massive scale.

The new EU ceilings for Chinese clothing were agreed in June after a previous, long-standing quota system expired on January 1, triggering surge in imports in the first months of this year.—Reuters