The EU Commission announced its plan to drop a preferential tariff which had been adopted on the Vietnamese shoe industry, after finding the industry was sufficiently competitive internationally on its own. The major sports manufacturers such as Adidas and Nike are protesting against this plan.

Among EU member countries, led by Italy, there has been a movement to protect their own shoe industries. Italy, home to some of the world's most famous shoemakers, led the campaign for anti-dumping duties in 2006.