A year ago, the European Union (EU) had imposed tariff on US-made high-end women's denim jeans, which is likely to be slashed now. The hike imposed by the European Commission from May 1 2013 saw tariffs on women's or girls' cotton denim trousers jump from the usual 12 per cent duty to 38 per cent - an additional 26 per cent.

But now EU has decided to cut down the additional tariff to just 0.35 per cent, according to international trade law firm Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg. If approved, the change could take effect at the beginning of May, it states. The tariff hike was authorised by the World Trade Organization (WTO) in retaliation against the US's continued distribution of antidumping duties collected on foreign-made goods to affected US producers.

The US law prescribing that system (the Continued Dumping and Subsidy Offset Act, more familiarly known as the Byrd Amendment) was repealed years ago, but duties already collected are still being handed out as requisite legal or administrative procedures are concluded. Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg has been actively working to obtain relief for affected US manufacturers.

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