India's exporters of textiles and clothing to the European Union (EU) will discover that the EU market for their ware has shrunk. The EU imported textiles and clothing worth 70 billion euro in 2003. This figure is likely to fall by around 8 billion euro this year, and by the same amount again over the next two or three years. In 2003, the EU consisted of 15 countries, including the UK, Germany, France and Italy. On May 1 this year, ten more coutries came in: the newcomers include Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic. From this year their textile and clothing exports to EU, which amounted to some 8 billion euro in 2003, will now be re- corded as part of the internal trade of the EU, and not as imports. The EU wants to share the benefits of enlargement with its nine neighbours across the Mediterranean sea and four in Eastern Europe. Under its European Neihbourhood Policy (ENP), the EU wants to offer them "the prospect of a stake in the EU's internal market," including "further liberalisation to promote the free movement of persons, goods, services and capital."
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