EU states split over anti-dumping duties on shoes

Mr Mandelson recently proposed provisional duties of 19.4 percent on shoes originating in China and 16.8 percent on shoes from Vietnam, both to be phased in over five months beginning at around 4 percent in April.

Children's and sports shoes would be excluded from duties under the current proposal.

Despite some member states' demand for tougher measures and other member's demands for no measures to be taken at all, the Commission came out with an overall positive result from Thursday's meeting.

"The Commissioner's proposals represented a middle ground and there was no majority against his balanced approach," EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson's office said in a statement.

Trade officials noted that abstentions were considered as votes in favour under the rules of the anti-dumping committee, according to Reuters news agency.

The vote was only consultative, and the commission will use the coming months to "establish a consensus among member states on a definitive course of action'', according to the FT.

Leather shoes from China and Vietnam

China and Vietnam have protested against the commission's recommendations.

China's Commerce Ministry has said that the anti-dumping duties would mark a "step backwards" in trade relations between Europe and China, according to The Times Online.

Beijing has warned it might take the shoe issue before the WTO.

Italy, with a large shoe producing industry itself, has complained that the measures are not tough enough. "We won the battle but not the war," said Italian vice minister for trade, and responsible for foreign trade, Adolfo Urso.

Scandinavian countries, importers of shoes from Asia, have rejected the need for anti-dumping duties at all. European retailers and importers have warned the duties will jeopardise jobs and push up prices.

The Federation of European Sporting Goods, whose members Nike, Puma, Adidas and Reebok and make most of their shoes in Asia, said the duties would lead to unjustifiable price increases.

"The proposed duties are a subsidy to a few uncompetitive producers for which European importers, retailers and consumers will have to foot the bill," said FESI President Horst Widmann according to AP news agency.

The provisional duties will formally be adopted on March 22.

Mr Mandelson said speaking before the European Parliament on Tuesday (14 March) that the EU had a "right and an obligation to act" against what he called unfair trade practices by China and Vietnam but the protective duties would not shield Europe from the need to restructure its footwear manufacturing industry.