Abstract:

In this study, a comparative analysis of the textile and clothing industry in the enlarged EU27 is made with respect to the 10 Central and Eastern European countries and Turkey for the period 2011 - 2012. This period was chosen because growth in textile and clothing as well as in all European industry in 2010 was an outcome of the economic crisis of 2008 - 2009. The selection of countries was made on purpose to highlight trends for the textile and clothing industry in the 10 Central and Eastern European Union (EU-CE10) countries compared with the old EU member countries (EU15) and Turkey. The findings for the period 2011 - 2012 can be thus interpreted: Italy, France, Turkey, Germany and United Kingdom are the leaders of investments and turnover in the sector of textile and clothing in the total of millions of Euros; however, the most of the EU-CE10 countries and Turkey are leaders with respect to the percentage of investments and turnover. While the importance of the textile and clothing industry for a country’s economy is very different for the countries analysed – more than 3% of the GDP (gross domestic product) is observed only in Turkey, Bulgaria, Portugal and Italy.