Brussels has hosted a number of major conferences, which is not surprising as it is the capital of the 15-nation European Union. But the conference held on May 5-6 on the future of the textile and clothing business after 2005 seemed likely to set a record. Some 800 people were expected to attend this event, which was convened by the EU's Trade Commissioner, Pascal Lamy. Participants included Trade Ministers as well as senior civil servants; businessmen as well as industrialists and trade unionists, together with the representatives of non-governmental organisations from over 70 countries. For M. Lamy, a wide-ranging discussion was necessary because "there is no full realisation as yet" of how the ending of quotas will impinge on world trade in textiles and clothing. The stakes however are very high: the sector employs millions of people worldwide and accounts for some US$350b of world trade yearly. Many developing countries in particular are highly dependent on textiles and clothing exports. Hence the "need to examine closely what will change," since "the effective opening of markets worldwide is arousing real concerns."
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