London, May 18 : "Country of origin" labels on clothes should become compulsory for selling them in Europe, so that people are not misled by labels suggesting they were made in the European Union (EU), the European Parliament said Tuesday.

The only way to ensure that people are not deceived by clothes made in a third country is to make "made in" labels mandatory, EuAsiaNews quoted the European Parliament as saying in a statement.

At least two out of four stages of manufacturing have to be carried out in a country in order to obtain the "Made in" label of that country.

"Made in" labels are currently voluntary in the EU. But in practice their use depends on national laws. In comparison, country of origin labelling is strictly required in the US, Canada and Japan.