Identifying Trade Barriers, Customs, Standards

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Identifying Trade Barriers, Customs, Standards
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Trade Barriers, Regulations, Customs, Standards

• Tariffs or taxes imposed on imported goods that,
  when high, may make it difficult to sell your
  product profitably in a foreign market.
  
• Non-tariff barriers, such as laws and regulations
  that countries enact that protect domestic
  industries against foreign competition.
  Non-tariff barriers include import quotas or
  restrictions on quality of imports.
• International Standards promoted by the
  International Standards Organization (ISO)
  involves establishing quality manufacturing and
  service standards, and certification and
  monitoring world wide. Originally advocated by
  the European Union, around 100 nations are now
  considering adopting ISO processes, as seen in
  the IS0 9000 (a generic family of standards and
  quality control systems).
• Communication may be a problem if you do not
  speak your potential customer's language.
  
• Distribution arrangements may present barriers if
  the market has not yet been explored by other
  U.S. businesses.
  
• Whether or not patents and trademarks exist on
  similar products or property in that country
  
• Licenses

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What product labeling requirements must be met?
(Metric measurements, AC or DC electrical, voltag
e, etc.) Keep in mind that the European Community
now requires 3 languages on all new
Product Design Branding Packaging There may b
e labeling requirements for the (1)package
containing the product and (2) for the crate
containing the packages. (1) Packaging Requirem
ents See TradePort Trade Compliance Center
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Source of Information

• Country Commercial Guide Country Commercial
  Guides (CCGs) are prepared annually by U.S.
  embassies with the assistance of several U.S.
  government agencies. These reports present a
  comprehensive look at countries' commercial
  environments, using economic, political and
  market analysis. The U.S. Department of
  Commerce posts CCGs on their site as they are
  released.

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Country Commercial Guide

• Consult the 6. TRADE REGULATIONS, CUSTOMS AND
  STANDARDS Section
  
• Will any of the issues discussed in this section
  affect the exporting of your product? If yes,
  which ones?
  
• Review the major subcategories.

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E.g. Greece Ink Jet Printers

• Trade Barriers
• E.g. Greek film production is subsidized by a 12
  percent admissions tax on all motion pictures. 
  Enforcement of Greek laws protecting intellectual
  property rights for film, software, music, and
  books has been is problematic, but has
  considerably improved in the last few years.
• Will this affect the exporting of ink jet
  printers form the U.S.? If yes, how?
  

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E.g. Greece Ink Jet Printers

• 2. Custom Valuation
• Trade between EU members is duty-free.  Import
  duties on products from non-EU countries,
  (including the U.S.), is 5 - 7 percent for most
  manufactured products. 
• In general, duties are lower on most raw
  materials and higher on some other product
  categories, such as textiles.  Import duties are
  applied on C.I.F., ad valorem basis. 
• In addition to import duties, imports are subject
  to other minor surcharges totaling less than 1
  percent.
  
• Will this affect the exporting of ink jet
  printers form the U.S.? If yes, how? (See next
  slide for info on duties.)
  

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E.g. Greece Ink Jet Printers

• 3. Labeling
• Labels must be in Greek.  The Greek labels can
  be attached to the product between clearing
  customs and being offered for sale.
  
• a. Will this affect the exporting of ink jet
  printers form the U.S.? If yes, how?
  

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E.g. Greece Ink Jet Printers

• 4. Standards
• Product Certification To sell their product on
  the EU market of 25 member states as well as
  Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland, U.S. exporters
  are required to apply CE marking whenever their
  product is covered by specific product
  legislation.
• a. Will this affect the exporting of ink jet
  printers form the U.S.? If yes, how?
  

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E.g. Greece Ink Jet Printers

• Standards
• Labeling/MarkingManufacturers are advised to
  take note that all labels require metric units
  although dual labeling is also acceptable until
  end of December 2009. The use of language on
  labels has been the subject of a Commission
  Communication, which encourages multilingual
  information, while preserving the freedom of
  Member States to require the use of language of
  the country of consumption.
• a. Will this affect the exporting of ink jet
  printers form the U.S.? If yes, how?
  

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E.g. Greece Ink Jet Printers

• Standards
• Special Import Provisions
• Greece has three free-trade zones, located at
  the Piraeus, Thessaloniki, and Heraklion port
  areas.  Goods of foreign origin may be brought
  into these zones without payment of customs
  duties or other taxes and remain free of all
  duties and taxes if subsequently transshipped or
  re-exported.
• a. Will this affect the exporting of ink jet
  printers form the U.S.? If yes, how?
  

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Country Commercial Guide

• Consult the 4. MARKETING US PRODUCTS AND
  SERVICES Section
  
• Will any of the issues discussed in this section
  affect the exporting of your product? If yes,
  which ones?
  
• Review the major subcategories.

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E.g. Greece Ink Jet Printers

• Credit
• U.S. exporters should bear in mind that letters
  of credit and drafts in amounts generally
  required by small businesses are very expensive
  in Greece.  Banks require the cash equivalent to
  be deposited before issuing any guarantees.
• a. Will this affect the exporting of ink jet
  printers form the U.S.? If yes, how?
  

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Country Commercial Guide

• Consult the 9. BUSINESS TRAVEL Section
• Will any of the issues discussed in this section
  affect the exporting of your product? If yes,
  which ones?
  
• Review the major subcategories.

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E.g. Greece Ink Jet Printers

• Pricing Greece has no price controls, except
  for pharmaceutical and agricultural products. 
  When pricing a product, firms should consider
  payment and credit terms.  Orders are usually
  small, and Greek importers will request special
  consideration if a U.S. supplier requires large
  orders. Greek importers generally expect a
  C.I.F. quotation, except when the purchasing
  company does a large amount of direct buying and
  provides its own insurance.  American firms
  should be prepared to quote prices on whatever
  basis is preferred by the prospective buyer.
• a. Will this affect the exporting of ink jet
  printers form the U.S.? If yes, how?
  

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E.g. Greece Ink Jet Printers

• Business Infrastructure
• Greek inland surface transportation is via road
  and railroad network.  Main streets and highways
  are paved, while secondary roads are generally
  rough.  Most roads are two-lane, except the parts
  of the National Road which have four lanes.  The
  road network is considered to be good, and is
  being constantly expanded.
• a. Will this affect the exporting of ink jet
  printers form the U.S.? If yes, how?