Chapter 5

Web Resources

Import Tariffs

Estonian Master Tariff System: http://emts.emta.ee:7303/emts/do/language?lang=en

The National Customs Board is a state institution operating under the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Estonia. It enforces the customs regulations of the country and is the direct administrator of customs arrangements. In 1992 Estonia became a member of the World Customs Organization (WCO).

Trade Barriers

For information on existing trade barriers, please see the National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers, published by USTR and available at the following website: http://www.ustr.gov/Document_Library/Reports_Publications/2007/2007_NTE_Report/Section_Index.html?ht= .

Information on agricultural trade barriers can be found at the following website: http://www.useu.usmission.gov/agri/usda.html.

To report existing or new trade barriers and get assistance in removing them, contact either the Trade Compliance Center at http://www.trade.gov/tcc or the U.S. Mission to the European Union at http://www.buyusa.gov/europeanunion.

Import Requirements and Documentation

The information on Estonian Customs: http://www.emta.ee/?id=1939

The Integrated Tariff of the Community, referred to as TARIC (Tarif Intégré de la Communauté), is designed to show various rules applying to specific products being imported into the customs territory of the EU or, in some cases, when exported from it. To determine if a license is required for a particular product, check the TARIC.

The TARIC can be searched by country of origin, Harmonized System (HS) Code, and product description on the interactive website of the Directorate-General for Taxation and the Customs Union. The online TARIC is updated daily.

Many EU Member States maintain their own list of goods subject to import licensing. For example, Germany's "Import List" (Einfuhrliste) includes goods for which licenses are required, their code numbers, any applicable restrictions, and the agency that will issue the relevant license. The Import List also indicates whether the license is required under German or EU law. For information relevant to Member State import licenses, please consult the relevant Member State Country Commercial Guide.

Key Link: http://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/common/databases/taric/index_en.htm

Import Documentation

Non-agricultural Documentation

The official model for written declarations to customs is the Single Administrative Document (SAD). European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries including Norway, Iceland, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein also use the SAD. However, other forms may be used for this purpose. Information on import/export forms is contained in Title VII, of Council Regulation (EEC) No. 2454/93, which lays down provisions for the implementation of Council Regulation (EEC) No. 2913/92 establishing the Community Customs Code (Articles 205 through 221). Articles 222 through 224 provide for computerized customs declarations and Articles 225 through 229 provide for oral declarations.

Additional information on import/export documentation can be found in Title III, of Council Regulation (EEC) No. 2913/92 of October 12, 1992, establishing the Community Customs Code (Articles 37 through 57). Goods brought into the customs territory of the Community are, from the time of their entry, subject to customs supervision until customs formalities are completed.

Goods presented to customs are covered by a summary declaration, which is lodged once the goods have been presented to customs. The customs authorities may, however, allow a period for lodging the declaration, which cannot be extended beyond the first working day following the day on which the goods are presented to customs. The summary declaration can be made on a form corresponding to the model prescribed by the customs authorities. However, the customs authorities may permit the use, as a summary declaration, of any commercial or official document that contains the particulars necessary for identification of the goods. It is encouraged that the summary declaration be made in computerized form.

The summary declaration is to be lodged by:

the person who brought the goods into the customs territory of the Community or by any person who assumes responsibility for carriage of the goods following such entry; or

the person in whose name the person referred to above acted.

Non-EU goods presented to customs must be assigned a customs-approved treatment or use authorized for such non-Community goods. Where goods are covered by a summary declaration, the formalities for them to be assigned a customs-approved treatment or use must be carried out:

45 days from the date on which the summary declaration is lodged in the case of goods carried by sea;

20 days from the date on which the summary declaration is lodged in the case of goods carried other than by sea.
Where circumstances so warrant, the customs authorities may set a shorter period or authorize an extension of the period.

The Modernized Customs Code (MCC) of the European Union is expected to be passed into law in the first half of 2008. The MCC will replace the existing Regulation 2913/92 and simplify various procedures such as introducing a paperless environment, centralized clearance, and more. Check the EU's Customs website periodically for updates:
http://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/customs/procedural_aspects/general/community_code/index_en.htm.

Batteries

EU battery rules changed in September 2006 following the publication of the Directive on batteries and accumulators and waste batteries and accumulators (Directive 2006/66). This Directive replaces the original Battery Directive of 1991 (Directive 91/157). The updated Directive applies to all batteries and accumulators put on the EU market including automotive, industrial and portable batteries. It aims to protect the environment by restricting the sale of batteries and accumulators that contain mercury or cadmium (with an exemption for emergency and alarm systems, medical equipment and cordless power tools) and by promoting a high level of collection and recycling. It places the responsibility on producers to finance the costs associated with the collection, treatment, and recycling of used batteries and accumulators. The Directive also includes provisions on the labeling of batteries and their removability from equipment. EU Member States must implement the EU Directive into their national law by September 26, 2008.

For more information, see our market research report: http://www.buyusainfo.net/docs/x_8086174.pdf

REACH

REACH is a major reform of EU chemicals policy that was adopted in December 2006 and became national law in the 27 EU Member States in June 2007. Virtually every industrial sector, from automobiles to textiles, could be affected by the new policy. REACH stands for the "Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals." As of June 1 2008, REACH will require all chemicals produced or imported into the EU in volumes above 1 ton per year to be registered with a central European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), including information on their properties, uses and safe ways of handling them. Most chemicals currently imported into the EU are eligible for pre-registration which provides ECHA with basic information on the substance and allows the continued imports until a later registration deadline. ECHA will accept pre-registrations from 1 June 2008 until 1 December 2008. U.S. companies should take advantage of the pre-registration period if possible. The full registration period for chemicals which are pre-registered ranges from three to eleven years depending on the volume of the substance and its hazard properties. Substances not pre-registered must be registered to stay on the market. Chemicals of very high concern, like carcinogens, will need an authorization for use in the EU. U.S. exporters to Europe should carefully consider this piece of EU environmental legislation. For more information, see the CSEU REACH webpage at: http://www.buyusa.gov/europeanunion/reach.html.

WEEE & RoHS

EU rules on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), while not requiring specific customs or import paperwork, may entail a financial obligation for U.S. exporters. They require U.S. exporters to register the products with a national WEEE authority, or to arrange for this to be done by a local partner. Similarly, related rules for EEE restricting the use of the hazardous substances (RoHS) lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium, PBBs, and PBDEs, do not entail customs or importation paperwork. However, U.S. exporters may be asked by a European RoHS enforcement authority or by a customer to provide evidence of due diligence in compliance with the substance bans on a case-by-case basis. U.S. exporters seeking more information on WEEE and RoHS regulations should visit: http://www.buyusa.gov/europeanunion/weee.html

Agricultural Documentation

Phytosanitary Certificates: Phytosanitary certificates are required for most fresh fruits, vegetables, and other plant materials.

Sanitary Certificates: For commodities composed of animal products or by-products, EU countries require that shipments be accompanied by a certificate issued by the competent authority of the exporting country. This applies regardless of whether the product is for human consumption, for pharmaceutical use, or strictly for non-human use (e.g., veterinary biologicals, animal feeds, fertilizers, research). Many of these certificates are uniform throughout the EU, but the harmonization process has not been finalized yet. During this transition period, certain Member State import requirements continue to apply. In addition to the legally required EU health certificates, a number of other certificates are used in international trade. These certificates, which may also be harmonized in EU legislation, certify origin for customs purposes and certain quality attributes. Up-to-date information on harmonized import requirements can be found at the following website: http://useu.usmission.gov/agri/certificates-overview.html.

Sanitary Certificates (Fisheries): In April 2006, the European Union declared the U.S. seafood inspection system as equivalent to the European one. Consequently, a specific public health certificate must accompany U.S. seafood shipments. Commission Decision 2006/199/EC places specific conditions on imports of fishery products from the U.S. Sanitary certificates for live shellfish are covered by Commission Regulation (EC) 1664/2006 and must be used for gastropods, bivalve mollusks, tunicates and echinoderms. The two competent Authorities for issuing sanitary certificates are the FDA and the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS/NOAA/USDC).

Since May 1, 2007, with the implementation of the second Hygiene Package, aquaculture products coming from the United States must be accompanied by a public health certificate according to Commission Decision 2006/199/EC and the animal health attestation included in the new fishery products certificate covered by Regulation (EC) 1664/2006. This animal health attestation is not required in the case of live bivalve mollusks intended for immediate human consumption (retail).

For detailed information on import documentation for seafood, please contact the NOAA Fisheries office at the U.S. Mission to the EU (stephane.vrignaud@mail.doc.gov) or visit the following FDA dedicated web site: http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/.

U.S. Export Controls

As a member state of the European Union and NATO, Estonia is obliged to share the responsibility for international security, which presupposes the adoption of the values and the codes of conduct of these organizations. An essential part of this is the efficient implementation of export control measures and a foreign policy oriented towards preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD). The latter is coordinated by several international organizations – the Wassenaar Arrangement, the Australia Group (dealing with issues related to chemical weapons), the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) and the Nuclear Suppliers Group.

U.S. Export controls and licenses: http://www.export.gov/exportcontrols.html

Temporary Entry

Goods transiting Estonian territory are not charged duties. It is possible to obtain a temporary exemption from duty for items such as commercial samples, and for goods intended for public displays at exhibitions and fairs. If the goods are put to any unauthorized use or are not re-exported within the prescribed time period (a maximum of one year) they must go through normal customs clearance and become liable for relevant duties and taxes.

Labeling and Marking Requirements

The following information, in Estonian, is required on retail packaging, or otherwise marked on the product (a sticker, label, etc.):

- Name of product (indicating clearly the contents of the package)
- Name of the manufacturer or the name of the company that had the product manufactured
- Amount of contents (weight or volume of the contents to be specified, measures in metric system).

If warranted, the following information should also be included on the retail packaging or otherwise clearly identified on the product: contents of the product, care instructions, operating instructions, and a warning of possible danger related to the use or disposal of the product.

A retail-size food package must show the same name of the manufacturer, packer or importer, commercial name of the product, net metric weight or volume, ingredients in descending order of weight, last recommended date of sale, and storage instructions if perishable or intended for infants. This information described above must be provided in Estonian.

An overview of EU mandatory and voluntary labeling and marking requirements has been compiled in a market research report that is available at: http://www.buyusainfo.net/docs/x_4171929.pdf.

The subject has been also been covered in the section about standards

Prohibited and Restricted Imports

The TARIC is designed to show various rules applying to specific products being imported into the customs territory of the EU or, in some cases, when exported from it. To determine if a product is prohibited or subject to restriction, check the TARIC for that product for the following codes:

CITES Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species
PROHI Import Suspension
RSTR Import Restriction

For information on how to access the TARIC, see the Import Requirements and Documentation Section above.

Key Link: http://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/common/databases/taric/index_en.htm

Customs Regulations and Contact Information

Regulation 648/2005 is the “Security Amendment” to the Customs Code (Regulation 2913/92) and outlines the implementing provisions for Authorized Economic Operators, risk management procedures, pre-departure declarations, and improved export controls.

Tariffs and Import Taxes: Information on customs valuation is contained in Title II, Chapter Three, of Council Regulation (EEC) 2913/92, establishing the Community Customs Code, titled, "Value of Goods for Customs Purposes" (Articles 28 through 36). The primary basis for determining customs value set out in Articles 29 is: "... the transaction value, that is, the price actually paid or payable for the goods when sold for export to the customs territory of the Community..." Article 29 lists the following conditions, which must be met in determining customs value:

There are no restrictions as to the disposal or use of the goods by the buyer, other than restrictions which are imposed or required by a law or by the public authorities in the community, limit the geographical area in which the goods may be resold, or do not substantially affect the value of the goods;

The sale or price is not subject to some conditional consideration for which a value cannot be determined with respect to the goods being valued;

No part of the proceeds of any subsequent resale disposal or use of the goods by the buyer will accrue directly or indirectly to the seller, unless an appropriate adjustment can be made in accordance with Article 32; and

The buyer and seller are not related, or, where the buyer and seller are related, that the transaction value is acceptable for customs purposes.

The "price actually paid or payable" in Article 29 refers to the price for the imported goods. Thus the flow of dividends or other payments from the buyer to the seller that do not relate to the imported goods are not part of the customs value.

Articles 32 and 33 provide for adjustments to the value for customs purposes. Article 32 lists charges that are added to the customs value, such as, commissions and brokerage, costs of containers, packing, royalties and license fees, and the value of goods and services supplied directly or indirectly by the buyer in connection with the production and sale for export of the imported goods. Article 33 lists charges that are not included in the customs value, such as, charges for transport, charges incurred after importation, charges for interest under a financing arrangement for the purchase of the goods, charges for the right to reproduce imported goods in the Community, and buying commissions.

Effective July 1, 1995, the Commission amended Article 147(1) of Regulation 2454/93 of the Customs Code which affects valuation in the case of successive sales. This amendment "defaults" valuation to the last sale, but allows the value of an earlier sale if it can be demonstrated that such a sale took place for export to the EU. The evidentiary requirements to support the bona fides of any earlier sales will be based upon commercial documents such as purchase orders, sales contracts, commercial invoices, and shipping documents.

Key Link: http://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/customs/index_en.htm

For contact information at national customs authorities, please visit: http://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/common/links/customs/index_en.htm

Estonian Customs: http://www.emta.ee/?lang=en

Standards

Contacts

Overview

Products tested and certified in the United States to American standards are likely to have to be retested and re-certified to EU requirements as a result of the EU's different approach to the protection of the health and safety of consumers and the environment. Where products are not regulated by specific EU technical legislation, they are always subject to the EU's General Product Safety Directive as well as to possible additional national requirements.

European Union standards created under the New Approach are harmonized across the 27 EU Member States and European Economic Area countries to allow for the free flow of goods. A feature of the New Approach is CE marking. While harmonization of EU legislation can facilitate access to the EU Single Market, manufacturers should be aware that Regulations and technical standards might also function as barriers to trade if U.S. standards are different from those of the European Union.

The European Union is currently undertaking a major revision of the New Approach that will enhance some aspects, especially in the areas of market surveillance. To follow the revision, please visit: http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/regulation/internal_market_package/index_en.htm

Agricultural Standards

The establishment of harmonized EU rules and standards in the food sector has been ongoing for several decades, but it took until January 2002 for the publication of a general food law establishing the general principles of EU food law. This Regulation introduced mandatory traceability throughout the feed and food chain as of Jan 1, 2005. For specific information on agricultural standards, please refer to the Foreign Agricultural Service's website at: http://useu.usmission.gov/agri/.

Standards Organizations

EVS (a non-profit association recognized by the Government of Estonia as the national standards body for Estonia) started its operations as provided by the Technical Regulations and Standards Act on April 1, 2000. National Standards are sold in Estonia only by EVS. EVS has exclusive rights for sale of ISO, CEN, BSI, DIN, SFS and GOST standards in Estonia. EVS also has a sales agreement with IHS Nordic http://www.evs.ee/index.php3?lk=english

EU standards setting is a process based on consensus initiated by industry or mandated by the European Commission and carried out by independent standards bodies, acting at the national, European or international level. There is strong encouragement for non-governmental organizations, such as environmental and consumer groups, to actively participate in European standardization.

Many standards in the EU are adopted from international standards bodies such as the International Standards Organization (ISO). The drafting of specific EU standards is handled by three European standards organizations:

CENELEC, European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization
(http://www.cenelec.org/Cenelec/Homepage.htm)

ETSI, European Telecommunications Standards Institute
(http://www.etsi.org/)

CEN, European Committee for Standardization, handling all other standards
(http://www.cen.eu/cenorm/index.htm)

Standards are created or modified by experts in Technical Committees or Working Groups. The members of CEN and CENELEC are the national standards bodies of the Member States, which have "mirror committees" that monitor and participate in ongoing European standardization. CEN and CENELEC standards are sold by the individual Member States standards bodies. ETSI is different in that it allows direct participation in its technical committees from non-EU companies that have interests in Europe and gives away its individual standards at no charge on its website. In addition to the three standards developing organizations, the European Commission plays an important role in standardization through its funding of the participation in the standardization process of small- and medium-sized companies and non-governmental organizations, such as environmental and consumer groups. The Commission also provides money to the standards bodies when it mandates standards development to the European Standards Organization for harmonized standards that will be linked to EU technical Regulations. In the last year, the Commission began listing their mandates on line and they can be seen at http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/standards_policy/mandates/. All the EU harmonized standards, which provide the basis for CE marking, can be found on http://www.newapproach.org/.

Due to the EU's vigorous promotion of its regulatory and standards system as well as its generous funding for its business development, the EU's standards regime is wide and deep - extending well beyond the EU's political borders to include affiliate members (countries which are hopeful of becoming full members in the future) such as Albania, Croatia, FYR of Macedonia, and Turkey. Another category, called "partner standardization bodies" includes the standards organizations of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republic of Moldova, Egypt, Serbia, the Russian Federation, Tunisia, the Ukraine, Armenia and Australia, which have an interest in participating in specific CEN technical committees. They agree to pay a fee for full participation in certain technical committees and agree to implement the committee's adopted standards as national standards. Many other countries are targets of the EU's extensive technical assistance program, which is aimed at exporting EU standards and technical Regulations to developing countries, especially in the Mediterranean and Balkan countries, Africa, as well as programs for China and Latin America.

To know what CEN and CENELEC have in the pipeline for future standardization, it is best to visit their websites. CEN's "business domain" page provides an overview by sector and/or technical committee whereas CENELEC offers the possibility to search its database. ETSI's portal (http://portal.etsi.org/Portal_Common/home.asp) leads to ongoing activities.

With the need to adapt more quickly to market needs, European standards organizations have been looking for "new deliverables" which are standard-like products delivered in a shorter timeframe. While few of these "new deliverables" have been linked to EU Regulations, expectations are that they will eventually serve as the basis for EU-wide standards.

Key Link: http://www.cenorm.be/cenorm/workarea/sectorfora/index.asp

Conformity Assessment

Conformity Assessment is a mandatory step for the manufacturer in the process of complying with specific EU legislation. The purpose of conformity assessment is to ensure consistency of compliance during all stages of the production process to facilitate acceptance of the final product. EU product legislation gives manufacturers some choice with regard to conformity assessment, depending on the level of risk involved in the use of their product. These range from self-certification, type examination and production quality control system, to full quality assurance system. You can find conformity assessment bodies in individual Member State country in this list by the European Commission.

Key Link: http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/newapproach/nando/

To promote market acceptance of the final product, there are a number of voluntary conformity assessment programs. CEN's certification systems are the Keymark, the CENCER mark, and the European Standard Agreement Group. CENELEC has its own initiative. ETSI does not offer conformity assessment services.

Product Certification

To sell products on the EU market of 27 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. CE marking product legislation offers manufacturers a number of choices and requires decisions to determine which safety/health concerns need to be addressed, which conformity assessment module is best suited to the manufacturing process, and whether or not to use EU-wide harmonized standards. There is no easy way for U.S. exporters to understand and go through the process of CE marking, but hopefully this section provides some background and clarification.

Products manufactured to standards adopted by CEN, CENELEC and ETSI, and published in the Official Journal as harmonized standards, are presumed to conform to the requirements of EU Directives. The manufacturer then applies the CE marking and issues a declaration of conformity. With these, the product will be allowed to circulate freely within the EU. A manufacturer can choose not to use the harmonized EU standards, but then must demonstrate that the product meets the essential safety and performance requirements. Trade barriers occur when design, rather than performance, standards are developed by the relevant European standardization organization, and when U.S. companies do not have access to the standardization process through a European presence.

The CE marking addresses itself primarily to the national control authorities of the Member States, and its use simplifies the task of essential market surveillance of regulated products. Although CE marking is intended primarily for inspection purposes by Member State inspectors, the consumer may well perceive it as a quality mark.

The CE marking is not intended to include detailed technical information on the product, but there must be enough information to enable the inspector to trace the product back to the manufacturer or the authorized representative established in the EU. This detailed information should not appear next to the CE marking, but rather on the declaration of conformity, the certificate of conformity (which the manufacturer or authorized agent must be able to provide at any time, together with the product's technical file), or the documents accompanying the product.

Accreditation

Independent certification bodies, known as notified bodies, have been officially accredited by competent authorities to test and certify to EU requirements. However, under U.S.-EU Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs), notified bodies based in the United States and referred to as conformity assessment bodies, are allowed to test in the United States to EU specifications, and vice versa. The costs are significantly lower which results in U.S. products becoming more competitive. At this time, the U.S.-EU MRAs cover the following sectors: EMC (in force), RTTE (in force), medical devices (in transition), pharmaceutical (on hold), recreational craft (in force) and marine equipment (in force). The U.S. Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), has a link on its website to American and European Conformity Assessment bodies operating under a mutual recognition agreement.

Key Link: http://ts.nist.gov/Standards/Global/mra.cfm

Accreditation is handled at Member State level. "European Accreditation" (http://www.european-accreditation.org/default_flash.htm) is an organization representing nationally recognized accreditation bodies. Membership is open to nationally recognized accreditation bodies in countries in the European geographical area that can demonstrate that they operate an accreditation system compatible with EN45003 or ISO/IEC Guide 58.

Estonian Accreditation Center: http://www.eak.ee/index_eng.php?pageCus=head&head=4

Publication of Technical Regulations

The Official Journal is the official gazette of the European Union. It is published daily and consists of two series covering draft and adopted legislation as well as case law, questions from the European Parliament, studies by committees, and more (http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/lex/JOIndex.do?ihmlang=en). It lists the standards reference numbers linked to legislation (http://www.newapproach.org/Directives/DirectiveList.asp). National technical Regulations are published on the Commission's website http://ec.europa.eu/comm/enterprise/tris/ to allow other countries and interested parties to comment.

Member countries of the World Trade Organization (WTO) are required under the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT Agreement) to report to the WTO all proposed technical Regulations that could affect trade with other member countries. Notify Us is a free, web-based e-mail subscription service that offers an opportunity to review and comment on proposed foreign technical Regulations that can affect your access to international markets. Register online at Internet URL: http://tsapps.nist.gov/notifyus/data/index/index.cfm

Labeling and Marking

Manufacturers should be mindful that, in addition to the EU's mandatory and voluntary schemes, national voluntary labeling schemes might still apply. These schemes may be highly appreciated by consumers, and thus, become unavoidable for marketing purposes.

Manufacturers 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 right of Member States to require the use of language of the country of consumption.

The EU has mandated that certain products be sold in standardized quantities. Council Directive 2007/45/EC, to replace 80/232/EC in April 2009, harmonizes packaging of wine and spirits throughout the EU. Existing national sizes will be abolished with a few exceptions for domestic producers.

Key Link: http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/prepack/packsize/packsiz_en.htm

The Eco-label

EU legislation in 1992, revised in 2000, distinguishes environmentally friendly products and services through a voluntary labeling scheme called the Eco-label. Currently, the scheme applies to 7 product groups: cleaning products, appliances, paper products, clothing, lubricants, home and garden products and tourism services. The symbol, a green flower, is a voluntary mark. The Eco-label is awarded to producers who can show that their product is less harmful to the environment than similar products. This “green label” also aims to encourage consumers to buy green products. However, the scheme does not establish ecological standards that all manufacturers are required to meet to place product on the market. Products without the EU Eco-label can still enter the EU as long as they meet the existing health, safety, and environmental standards and Regulations.

The EU Eco-label is a costly scheme (up to EUR 1,300 for registration and up to EUR 25,000/year for the use of the label, with a reduction of 25% for SMEs) and has therefore not been widely used so far. However, the Eco-label can be a good marketing tool and, given the growing demand for green products in Europe, it is likely that the Eco-label will become more and more a reference for green consumers.

Key Links: http://buyusainfo.net/docs/x_4284752.pdf
http://ec.europa.eu/comm/environment/ecolabel/index_en.htm
http://www.eco-label.com/

Estonian Center for Standardization: http://www.evs.ee/index.php3?lk=kontakt

Estonian Accreditation Center: http://www.eak.ee/index_eng.php?pageId=15

Trade Agreements

For a list of trade agreements with the EU and its Member States, as well as concise explanations, please see http://tcc.export.gov/Trade_Agreements/index.asp

Web Resources

Estonian Center for Standardization: http://www.evs.ee/index.php3?lk=english

Estonian Accreditation Center: http://www.eak.ee/index_eng.php

Estonian Customs: www.emta.ee

Office of the U.S. Trade Representative
http://www.ustr.gov/

U.S. Mission to the EU (USEU) website
http://www.useu.be or http://useu.usmission.gov/

Foreign Agricultural Service website, USEU
http://www.useu.be/agri/usda.html

Trade Compliance Center
http://www.trade.gov/tcc

U.S. Mission to the European Union
http://www.buyusa.gov/europeanunion

USDA Audit, Review & Compliance
http://www.ams.usda.gov/lsg/arc/audit.htm

EC's TARIC – online customs tariff database
http://ec.europa.eu/comm/taxation_customs/common/databases/taric/index_en.htm

Batteries
http://www.buyusainfo.net/docs/x_8086174.pdf

WEEE & RoHS
http://www.buyusa.gov/europeanunion/weee.html

Harmonized import requirements
http://www.useu.be/agri/certification.html

EU Hygiene guidelines
Commission Regulation 2073/2005
Commission Regulation 2074/2005
Commission Regulation 2076/2005

National Marine Fisheries Service's Trade & Commercial Services website
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/ocs/tradecommercial

USDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/

EU mandatory and voluntary labeling and marking requirements
http://www.export.gov/mrktresearch/index.asp

EC Taxation and Customs Union
http://ec.europa.eu/comm/taxation_customs/customs/index_en.htm

National customs authorities
http://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/common/links/customs/index_en.htm

EC Regulation on animal by-products
http://ec.europa.eu/scadplus/leg/en/lvb/f81001.htm

Major Revision of the New Approach
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/newapproach/review_en.htm

EC Certification of Animal Products
http://useu.usmission.gov/agri/certification.html

EU-approved U.S. Establishments
http://useu.usmission.gov/agri/estab.html

EU Marketing Standards for Fruits & Vegetables
http://useu.usmission.gov/agri/Fruit-Veg.html

Non-Hormone Treated Cattle (NHTC) Program
http://www.ams.usda.gov/lsg/arc/nhtc.htm

Organic Foods Legislation
http://useu.usmission.gov/agri/organic.html CENELEC, European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization
http://www.cenelec.org/Cenelec/Homepage.htm

ETSI, European Telecommunications Standards Institute
http://www.etsi.org/

CEN, European Committee for Standardization
http://www.cen.eu/cenorm/index.htm

Standardization mandates
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/standards_policy/mandates/

ANSI, American National Standards Institute
http://www.ansi.org/

New Approach Legislation and Standardization in the Internal Market
http://www.newapproach.org/

ETSI's e-Standardization portal
http://portal.etsi.org/Portal_Common/home.asp

Advisory and coordinating bodies to CEN
http://www.cenorm.be/cenorm/workarea/sectorfora/index.asp

Accredited test laboratories in the EU
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/newapproach/nando/

Government-to-Government Mutual Recognition Agreement Information
http://ts.nist.gov/Standards/Global/mra.cfm

European co-operation for Accreditation
http://www.european-accreditation.org/default_flash.htm

European Union law portal
http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/lex/JOIndex.do?ihmlang=en

List of EU Directives and Standards
http://www.newapproach.org/Directives/DirectiveList.asp

EC Technical Regulations Information System
http://ec.europa.eu/comm/enterprise/tris/

Proposed Foreign Technical Regulations
http://tsapps.nist.gov/notifyus/data/index/index.cfm

EC Directive on packaging
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:31980L0232:EN:HTML

EU Eco-label Homepage
http://buyusainfo.net/docs/x_4284752.pdf
http://ec.europa.eu/comm/environment/ecolabel/index_en.htm
http://www.eco-label.com/

FAO
www.fao.org
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

WTO
www.wto.org
World Trade Organization (WTO)

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Doing Business in Estonia: A Country Commercial Guide for U.S. Companies

Chapter 5: Trade Regulations and Standards

Doing Business in Estonia:
A Country Commercial Guide for U.S. Companies

Chapter 5:
Trade Regulations and Standards