At the request of the EU, the World Trade Organization will lift duties on 75 products exported from Pakistan for a period of two years, through Dec. 31, 2013. Most of the products are textiles, apparel and footwear. The EU requested the special action in November 2010, after floods that year devastated Pakistan, even though the European Apparel and Textile Confederation said that the textile and clothing industry in Pakistan isn't located in the flooded areas. The Council for Trade in Goods noted that the WTO's action should not be seen as a precedent. Some of the products affected include cotton yarn and fabrics, jackets, T-shirts, anoraks, pants and shorts. The total import value of affected products into the EU is about €900 million, making up 27 percent of the EU's imports from Pakistan. The General Council of the WTO must approve the waiver for it to go into effect.

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