Fashion: Italy-France agreement

Harmonize fashion show calendars, develop the use of new media technologies to spread fashion content, support the protection of intellectual and industrial property at Union level, and together promote their products on European markets. These are the subjects of the alliance between Italy and France which was signed in Paris by the deputy minister for Attività Produttive con delega al Commercio Estero (Production Activities and Foreign Trade), Adolfo Urso, president of the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana, Mario Boselli, and the president of the Federation de la Couture du Pret a Pòrter, Didier Grumbach.

The agreement reached between the two Chambers of Fashion results from the need to impede competition from Asian countries, which weighs on sector profits and which brought about the strong downturn in 2003; according to the deputy minister, the agreement 'is heading in the right direction' because working together, sharing calendars, and the synergic promotion of products and training of stylists, is an answer to 'acquiring new markets, especially in developing countries where Italy and France both enjoy excellent reputations.

The three main signatories of the agreement also met with the Minister for Foreign Trade, François Loos, to discuss, amongst other things, the obligatory setting up of a certification mark for products placed on the Union market.

(Source: Adnkronos)