24-hour hotline : 23 922 922

e-mail address : enquiry@tid.gov.hk

Ref. : TRA CR 1329/4

31 October 2007

Dear Sirs,

Notice to Exporters: Series 2 (EU) No. 3/2007

Certificate of Origin Circular No. 9/2007

Import Licensing (Textiles) Circular No. 1/2007

Textiles Trader Registration Circular No. 5/2007

Textiles Control Arrangements for Exports to the EU ¹

This notice informs traders that the prevailing textiles control arrangements applicable to the European Union (EU) will remain unchanged after the EU's quantitative restrictions on the Mainland's textiles and clothing products expire at end-2007.

Details

2. The quantitative restrictions on ten categories of Mainland's textiles and clothing exports to the EU under the EU/Mainland Memorandum of Understanding will last until end-2007. The Department has informed traders vide Commercial Information Circular No. 377/2007 dated 10 October 2007 (http://www.tid.gov.hk/english/aboutus/tradecircular/cic/eu/2007/ci3772007.html) that the EU and the Mainland have decided to implement a system of joint import surveillance in 2008 to monitor the import of specific textiles and clothing products following the end of quantitative restrictions. 
   
   
3. Despite the elimination of quantitative restrictions, the future development on the EU front still remains to be seen. Since EU is one of Hong Kong's major trading partners, we see a continued need to monitor the post-2007 situation before making any major decision on the textiles control system. As such, to safeguard Hong Kong's legitimate trade interest and to provide a more certain and stable control environment to the trade, the Department has decided to maintain the existing textiles control system for the EU at least until end-2008. In other words, all shipments to the EU will continue to be covered by consignment-specific textiles licences or textiles notifications under the Textiles Trader Registration Scheme. In addition, manufacturers are required to lodge Production Notification (PN) for cut-and-sewn garments intended for export to the EU. Certificate of Hong Kong Origin applications covering cut-and-sewn garments for export to the EU have to be supported by validated PNs. Major details of the existing textiles control arrangements are set out in the Department's circulars on "Textiles Control Arrangements for 2005" (http://www.tid.gov.hk/english/aboutus/tradecircular/ne/series1/2004/exptr2004.html#432004), and "Extension of PN and TTRS Requirements to the EU Market" (http://www.tid.gov.hk/english/aboutus/tradecircular/all_in_one/2006/as012006.html).
   
   
4. Should you require further information on this subject, please contact the Customer Service Centre of the Origin Certification and Textiles Licensing Branch at 2398 5288.
   

Yours faithfully,

(Leonard Lam)

for Director-General of Trade and Industry

1 The EU includes Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

Note : While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the above information, the Department cannot guarantee this to be so and will not be held liable for any reliance placed on the same.