2nd Economic And Social Forum Of Shoe Industry Opens In Istanbul

ISTANBUL (CIHAN) - The 2nd Economic and Social Forum of the Shoe Industry: "The Europe Union and Candidate States" organized by the Turkish Leather Trade Union, the European Confederation of Shoe Retailers Associations and the European Textile and Leather Workers Federation is now being held in Istanbul.
Roeland Smets, the chief of the European Confederation of Shoe Retailers Associations declared in the forum that the Europe Union (EU) could have long-term collaboration with Turkey and other new countries. Smets stated: "It is not necessary to go far for cheap products. We can establish a production center in this region". Smets also said that permanent production in Europe depends on training, quality, efficiency, and creativity in technology.
The chairman of the Turkish Shoe Industrialists Association, Selahattin Akaydýn emphasized that 400 workers were employed in approximately 40,000 shoe enterprises. Akaydýn noted that a global world required collaboration from different countries. He added: "The customer with high purchase quantities prefers to go to China. We are under a severe threat because of unjust competition."