The European Commission said on Tuesday it had dropped an anti-dumping investigation into imports of reinforced shoes made in China and India after European producers withdrew their complaint.
The Commission launched the investigation more than a year ago when EU producers cried foul over cheap imports of shoes with protective toecaps, typically worn by industrial and construction workers.
In Tuesday's edition of the EU's official journal, the Commission said the European Confederation of the Footwear Industry withdrew the complaint in July.
In a bigger and more controversial case, the Commission on Wednesday is set to approve a plan by its trade chief Peter Mandelson to apply anti-dumping duties to leather shoes from China and Vietnam for five years.
EU member states are divided between countries opposed to any anti-dumping duties and some shoe-producing countries which want tougher measures than those proposed by Mandelson.
His plan, for tariffs of around 10 and 16.5 percent for leather footwear from Vietnam and China respectively, must also be approved by the member states before October 7 when provisional duties on leather shoes are due to expire.