International Trade and Investment Toolbox: Succeeding in Europe
First steps
Foreign companies that are attempting to do business in the European market for the
first time may find the process daunting and difficult to navigate. The resources provided here are intended to
point companies in the right direction as they branch out in Europe.
The U.S. Commercial Service has prepared a guide for U.S. businesses including pertinent
European Commission directives, regulations, and the EU commercial environment.
Access the U.S. Commercial Service’s "Doing Business in Europe" site and EU Commercial Guide.
Necessary regulatory information
Standards,
conformity assessment, and technical regulations can be particularly important
in accessing the European market. The "New Approach"
is the European Union’s solution to the challenge of technical harmonization
and regulation, and includes guidelines on the conditions for placing a wide
range of products in the EU market.
The CE mark is a mandatory conformity mark placed on
many products in the European market. Placing the mark on a product indicates that it meets the essential
health and safety requirements set out in the European Directives. Many foreign products may already meet the
Directives’ requirements, and therefore be eligible for the CE mark.
In addition to EU Directives, there are also three European Standards Organizations
[ESOs]: CEN [European Committee for
Standardization], CENELEC [European Committee for Electrotechnical
Standardization], and ETSI [European Telecommunications Standards
Institute]. The ESOs develop European
Standards [ENs] which supplement the European Directives in the EU market.
The following links provide the answers to many frequently asked question about
standards and regulations in the EU:
Key issues
Policy decisions by the European Commission may often include repercussions for standards and market access of which foreign stakeholders need to be aware. Below are some of the key issues that are affecting standards and foreign businesses.
REACH
REACH is a new European Community Regulation on chemicals and their safe use [EC 1907/2006].
It deals with the Registration, Evaluation,
Authorization and Restriction of Chemical substances.
European Commission’s guide to REACH.
Guide to U.S. businesses on REACH.
RoHS/WEEE
European Commission’s guide to compliance with RoHS.
Latest news and assistance to U.S. businesses on WEEE and RoHS.
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