OBJECTIVES:
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation supports Italian companies that have market access problems in third countries, through a partnership that brings together the European Commission, national governments and companies, in view of removing the obstacles that European exporters and investors face in non-European markets.
TOOLS:
The Market Access Advisory Committee (MAAC) is an Advisory Committee that brings together representatives of the Member States and the Associations of European Industries at the same table. Established on 24 September 1998, it currently meets once a month with the aim of pursuing a common strategy to remove trade barriers and tackle growing protectionism.
Within this context, tariff barriers such as excess customs duties and non-tariff barriers such as quantitative restrictions, import licences, technical and sanitary barriers, compliance checks, restriction of services, investment, discrimination in public procurement, and infringements of intellectual property rights are analysed, in coordination with experts from DG-TRADE according to geographical areas, sectors and specific issues.
With a view to devising an interactive means of communication with the industry, a new online portal called Access2Markets was created. The portal provides substantial support to companies and to small and medium-sized enterprises, in particular, which can find useful information on topics related to trade with third countries, such as tariffs, taxes, rules of origin, product requirements, customs procedures, trade barriers, statistics on trade flows and facilitations resulting from the trade agreements signed by the EU with these countries.
Within the site, through two separate formats, it is possible to report directly to the MAAC Commission on market access barriers and violations of trade and sustainable development commitments arising from trade agreements concluded by the EU.
With this portal, the European Commission aims to simplify access to international trade information and make updates available in a clear and effective manner in all EU’s official languages – an invaluable asset for European exporters, 88% of whom are small businesses.
CONTACTS:
Companies and small and medium-sized enterprises which face any obstacle during their export activities in third countries, may – directly or through their sector Associations – contact Office10 of the DGUE of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, by sending an email to:
dgue-10@esteri.it