The Official Journal of the European Communities has raised the re-import quota level for category 13 products to 827,000 pieces - over 50 per cent - for the year 2000 effective September 28. Category 13 comprises all undergarments, whether made from wool, cotton or man-made fibres.The regulation will be of particular interest to Hong Kong undergarment manufacturers with trading links with China.The Commission has responsed to the increased European demand for Chinese-manufactured undergarments, and the new quota represents an increase of almost 55 per cent over the previous re-import level of 534,000 pieces. This increase will be of benefit to Hong Kong textile manufacturers with interests in the Chinese mainland, who will be able to take advantage of the opportunity to increase the volume of their re-import products to - and sales of their products in - Europe.