The EU’s internal market is a single market in which the free movement of goods, services, capital and persons is, in principle, assured, and in which citizens are freely able to live, work, and do business. For businesses, the single market is a tool that allows for lower transaction costs, stronger competition and ensures that the products you sell won’t be discriminated against.

 

However, despite these apparent benefits, many barriers in the single market continue to exist. Language barriers, for example, may always remain, but there are many different national rules that still create friction at borders, like national rules on consumer protection, standards and testing requirements, VAT handling, product ingredients, cross-border transport or payment issues, etc.

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Whether a market for a specific product is fully harmonised or not, there are always remedies to trade barriers in an internal market. Whilst litigation appears to be the best option, our consultants have the know-how to address trade issues through targeted advocacy, which often leads to a quicker and more cost-effective solution. 

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Our team has particular experience with:

• Harmonisation of legislation – many areas of the single market are not yet harmonised and we assist organisations that wish to advocate their position in political processes where new laws are made or old laws are reviewed.

• Compliance issues – your product or service may encounter limitations in either the single market as a whole or in a specific country. We advise you on how to address these issues with the EU and make sure you have the market access you are entitled to.

• Sensitive sectors – we counsel on removing trading hurdles and legislation in a single market of sensitive product categories like alcohol, gambling and children’s products, among others. We also provide expert advice on consumer protection issues for any type of B2C selling.