Brussels  - The European Commission is poised for a bitter battle with Europe's main footwear-exporting countries after a majority of member states Wednesday voted against extending tariffs on Chinese shoes, diplomats said.

A proposal to extend the tariffs by up to one year, the time it would take for a proposed expiry review to be completed, was rejected by officials from 15 of the EU's 27 member states.

Anti-dumping tariffs of 16.5 per cent for leather shoes imported from China were approved by EU leaders in October 2006, egged on by France and Italy. The EU also decided to apply tariffs of 10 per cent on leather footwear made in Vietnam.

Member states agreed at the time to keep them in place for two years, instead of the usual five years.

And efforts to extend the tariffs through a lengthy "expiry review" were rejected on Wednesday, meaning the commission will now have to take a decision before they are due to expire, on October 8.

Wednesday's development was welcomed by associations representing European retailers and consumer groups.

"This is a good result for European importers and retailers whom we represent and also for the European consumer," said Jan Eggert of the Foreign Trade Association, a pressure group that wants to promote free trade.

"These duties have been in place already for too long. They did not help anybody. Consumers, who currently already face huge price increases, namely in the food and energy sectors, have had to pay the bill for long enough," added Monique Goyens of the European Consumers' Organisation.

A spokesman for EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson said the EU's executive body was "reflecting on the views expressed." (dpa)