One of the most important duties of the Embassy is to provide assistance and counselling to Swedish companies that have encountered various forms of trade obstacles.
What is a trade obstacle? The definition of a trade obstacle encompasses all forms of measures by authorities that impede or hinder trade with goods or services or otherwise impose existing rules arbitrarily. For instance, this could be: - Measures that are in breach of an existing trade agreement - Ambiguous legislation or cumbersome bureaucracy - Political intervention in legal cases or other forms of legal processes
Trade obstacles that arise outside EU/EES are primarily subject to the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) rules on non-discriminatory measures, but also to free trade agreements that the EU has entered into with third countries. In some cases, bilateral agreements on investment protection can be invoked.
Have you or has your company encountered a trade obstacle? You are very welcome to get in touch with us via email. Please state:
- Date
- Name/company
- Sector
- The nature of your issue
More information can be found at: Kommerskollegium (www.kommers.se) Business Sweden (www.business-sweden.se)