Trends in EU textile and clothing imports

摘要

EU textile and clothing imports edged up in value by 0.5% to a record high of Eurol 10.01 bn (US$121.67 bn) in 2016, following increases of 9.6% in 2015 and 8.9% in 2014. In terms of volume, imports rose by 63%, also to a record high. Textile imports were up by 1.4% in value and by 6.9% in volume while clothing imports were up by a marginal 0.2%, in value and by 5.5% in volume. The average price of EU textile and clothing imports fell by 5.5% in euro terms, reflecting a 5.2% decline in the average price of EU textile imports and a 5.0% decline in the average price of EU clothing imports. However, the 5.5% fall in EU textile and clothing imports came after an 11.0% jump in the previous year and, as a result, the average import price in 2016 was still at its third highest level in several years. Having said that, the high average import price was partly a reflection of recent movements in currency exchange rates. In 2015 the euro depreciated against the US dollar by a sharp 16.4% to its weakest level since 2002, and in 2016 it remained more or less at this level. A geographical breakdown shows that there were falls in the average prices of textile and clothing imports from eight of the EU's leading ten supplying countries, namely Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey and Vietnam. In fact, the only increases in average price occurred in the case of imports from Morocco and Tunisia. The EU's biggest textile and clothing supplying country in 2016 was, by far, China. However, the share of EU textile and clothing imports which came from China was down sharply in value terms—from 36.1% to 34.1%—as imports from the country fell by 5.3%. In volume terms, EU textile and clothing imports from China rose by 6.3% but the share of EU imports which came from China remained static, at 33.5%. Of the other nine supplying countries which ranked among the leading ten, Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Pakistan and Vietnam all gained share in the EU import market in both value and volume terms whereas Tunisia and Indonesia lost share in both value and volume terms. Turkey and Morocco, meanwhile, gained share in value terms but lost share in terms of volume.