European Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson said on Thursday he was still hoping that tens of millions of Chinese clothing imports stuck at the European Union's borders can be released by the middle of September.
"I can't tell you precisely when, if the member states will agree to the unblocking will take place, but as you know my target was for the unblocking to be achieved by the middle of this month, that is still my target," Mandelson told a news conference.
The blockage, and the row on how to ease it, has pitted EU countries with important retail sectors which want to soften the restrictions, against those with large but often struggling textile industries of their own.
The goods have been stranded after several categories of Chinese clothing quickly exceeded quotas agreed with Beijing in June in an attempt to slow soaring growth of imports.
Mandelson said he was encouraged by discussions with member states and was hopeful there might be an agreement among them as soon as Friday, once discussions within the Commission end. But he did not rule out the possibility that a deal would not be reached at all.
Mandelson said he had "strong and united support" from fellow EU commissioners for his attempts to unblock the goods.
He is hoping for an agreement among EU member states ahead of next week's China-EU summit in Beijing.
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