eu market survey 2003 - crecer

5.3 The role of Developing Countries
This paragraph discusses the role of developing countries in the table- & kitchenware market in
the EU. By developing countries, we mean the countries on the OECD DAC list, which can be
found in Appendix 5.
The role of developing countries in EU imports of table- & kitchenware increased considerably,
as can be seen in Figure 5.16. In 2001, the imports deriving from developing countries rose by 5
percent, reaching € 2.3 billion. In the reviewed period between 1997 and 2001, the import share
of developing countries in total EU imports rose from 25 percent in 1997 to 31 percent in 2001,
whereas the import share of most EU-countries declined, as also can be seen in Figure 5.16.
Figure 5.16 Trends in EU-import by leading suppliers (in 1,000 tons)
500
450
400
350
)
tons (in 1,000
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001
China Italy France Germany Developing Countries (excl. China)
Source: Eurostat, 2002
During the reviewed period, the import deriving from developing countries increased by 58
percent in terms of volume. Some emerging economies in Asia, with natural resources and low
labour costs, have set up their own table- & kitchenware industry, strongly dedicated to lowpriced
exports. At the same time, many EU manufacturers have shifted their production to these
countries to benefit from these same advantages. They combine their efficient and high-quality
production systems with the low labour costs in these countries. This development, in turn, has
offered the local manufacturers in developing countries a chance to copy the new technologies
and production systems. Therefore, the quality of their products has improved considerably.
Especially China and, to a lesser extent, Thailand have taken advantage of these developments
and therefore pose an increasing threat to EU manufacturers.
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