Alec van Gelder and Timothy Cox have an article in today’s China Post detailing EU protectionism in 2009.

“The European Union (EU) imposed 89 new trade barriers in 2009 and rounded off the year by prolonging tariffs on shoes from China and Vietnam, originally due to expire in 2008.”

“On issues ranging from human rights to conflict, EU leaders think they hold world's moral compass and point the way forward. But on trade policy — where the EU has a chance to help both its own economies and the rest of the world—Brussels is heading backwards.”

The EU needs to get serious about free trade and stop pandering to lobbyists and vested interests who are trying to protect their individual business. The extension of the shoe tax on imports from China and Vietnam epitomises this lack of commitment to open market policies. This protectionist measure will harm consumers, retailers and producers in Europe and the rest of the world.

Read the full article here: