PRESS RELEASE, Brussels, 6th September 2018: Speaking at a conference organised today by amfori and EuroCommerce on rules of origin, the heads of both associations warned that, unless rules of origin for products were improved, they would continue to discourage European companies, particularly small ones, to take advantage of hard-won concessions in trade agreements. Rules of origin determine the "nationality" of a product. To benefit from global value chains, companies need clear rules, but the complexity of rules of origin - preferential and non-preferential - continues to discourage trade, in particular for SMEs. The often very different rules in each of the many bilateral trade agreements signed in recent years adds to what is already a confusing picture.
06-09-2018