"24 hours Sun" reported on July 24th, the European Union decided on the 23 day to cancel the preferential treatment of footwear products exported to Vietnam by EU countries.

This means that from January 1, 2009, the preferential tariff for leather shoes will no longer exist.

The EU's decision immediately aroused strong reactions from the European sports apparel and accessories industry federation, including world famous sportswear and shoe manufacturers such as Nike, Adidas, fella and Puma.

A spokesman for the Federation said the EU's decision would strike a heavy blow on the Vietnamese footwear industry and the European footwear manufacturers who rely on Vietnam's footwear industry to maintain their competitiveness.

The newspaper pointed out that the abolition of preferential tariffs on footwear does not affect the EU's anti-dumping duties on Vietnamese leather shoes.