The EU textile industry made a steady start to 2017, boosted by the economic panorama which is turning brighter. According to the latest short-term indicators, the EU T&C industry gained some speed during the first quarter of 2017, with mixed results throughout the production chain. The upstream sector performed better than the clothing sector for which the situation remained more challenging. Positive news came also from the external sector, as T&C exports expanded at a solid pace in the first three months of the year.

The Commission June survey on the T&C industry (*), revealed that managers’ assessments of production expectations and of current level of order books improved markedly in both sectors, while their views on the stocks of finished products has pointed down.

* EU CommissionΆs survey: European business cycle indicators and Business Industry Survey (subsector database)