Multinational Activity in the Mediterranean Rim Textile and Clothing Industry

Abstract

Over the last decade or so, a number of Mediterranean Rim countries have emerged as major textile producers and exporters. Turkey, for example, has recently replaced Hong Kong as the leading foreign supplier of textiles to the European Community (EC) (in volume terms). Textile exports from Tunisia have increased by more than 1000 per cent since the early 1970s; while for countries such as Morocco, Greece and Malta textile exports have increased at a significantly faster rate than the world average. Even in Algeria and Egypt, where textile exports have grown less rapidly, recent investments in new plant and equipment have added considerably to domestic textile capacity and improved long-term export prospects.