Olof Lindgren, urging EU textile firms to be more competitive. European Commission data showed the bloc's member states imported 95.7 million T-shirts in the first three months of this year, a rise of 164 percent from the same 2004 period, while pullover and men's trouser imports jumped 534 and 413 percent respectively. Beijing imposed export tariffs on some textile products from Jan. 1 to counter fears that its exports would flood world markets and undermine producers in both poor and rich nations. But Mandelson said China should take further steps to avoid the imposition of so-called "safeguards" on its exports. "I urge China to take a fresh look at the measures they have put in place already and explore whether they cannot do more. I have also asked for concrete evidence that their measures are having an effect," he said. Alarm at the prospect of massive job losses in the EU textiles sector has crept into France's public debate on the EU constitution ahead of a crucial referendum next month.
