Clothing exports from Mediterranean countries to Europe have dropped from 25 per cent in 2007 to 17.6 per cent in 2015. Morocco was the eighth largest supplier of clothing and textiles to the European Union in 2015. In the first half of 2016, exports to Europe boomed by 8 per cent. One reason for the dip in Mediterranean exports is competition from Asia. With 1.3 million employees, 3,800 businesses and exports worth $27.2 thousand million in 2015, Vietnam’s clothing and textile sector represents one of the largest exporters in the world. The Chinese textile industry is the world’s leading producer and exporter with 28 million employees. In 2015, its exports topped $284 thousand million, $44 thousand million of which went to the European Union.

There are plans for a joint European and North African sectoral program that needs to be developed and implemented to develop a growth strategy that offers perspectives for the future. Textiles are the largest exports from Tunisia, Morocco and Jordan while for Egypt and Syria it is the second largest after oil. In Turkey, Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, Syria and Jordan the textiles and clothing industry accounts for between 30 and 50 per cent of all industrial jobs.