Foreign trade brings European consumers more choice, higher quality goods and lower prices. International trade also strengthens the competitiveness of Europe's businesses, while harnessing sustainable development worldwide.
Over 600,000 small businesses in Europe export goods and services to the rest of the world and each has its own story to tell.
The benefits for exporters and importers are numerous, as the following case studies show.
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Exporters' stories (129)
RSSCzechia - Bohemia Hop
Bohemia Hop – the largest supplier of fine aroma Saaz hops – zatecky chmel (PDO).
Czechia - Czech airplanes soaring their way to Australia
Increased exports mean BRM Aero produces around 80 airplanes a year, a number which is steadily growing. If the EU and Australia were to sign a trade agreement, orders would be likely to grow further still.
Czechia - Green tech for smooth machinery
Pacific Bio Lubricants Ltd is an Auckland-based subsidiary of the Czech company BIONA. It develops, manufactures and offers environmentally-friendly lubricants labelled LUBECO.
Denmark - SiccaDania
SiccaDania is a new company producing evaporators and dryers for the dairy, food, and starch industries. They sell their products and provide after sales service for them to customers around the world.
Estonia - Estonia Pianos
Estonia Pianos is a company that produces grand and concert pianos of the highest quality. Around 80-85% of Estonia’s sales are outside the EU, mainly to the USA, Australia and China.
Finland - Framery
Framery’s pods make everyday office life happier by providing a place where people can concentrate and work more efficiently. Since CETA came into effect, it has seen sales to Canada rise by 50%.
Finland - Giving Argentinians a taste of traditional Finnish brewing
The company sees growing demand for its types of beer in South America, and especially in Argentina, and would like to launch exports there. A trade agreement between the EU and Mercosur would open up a whole new market, where similar tastes in beer are found on both sides of the Atlantic.
Finland - In-moment customer feedback insights benefitting New Zealand
The EU-NZ trade agreement helps HappyOrNot to increase its turnover due to the elimination of duties, it makes the company more competitive in the market and it speeds up export procedures due to less administrative paperwork.
Finland - Vaisala helps Brazil to study weather-related phenomena, improving efficiency and safety
The EU-Mercosur Agreement could very much help to standardise practices of doing business between the countries concerned, making administrative procedures easier and cheaper for Finland-based measuring equipment manufacturer Vaisala.
France - Amestoy Piment d’Espelette
Maritxu and Eric Amestoy began producing piment d’Espelette (Espelette chilli pepper) on their farm in Halsou, France more than ten years ago. Maritxu and Eric have been exporting their piment d’ Espelette to Canada since 2016. It sells the peppers to a cannery that produces prepared foods.
France - Axioma - Conquering the future
Axioma is a French company with big plans to boost its exports beyond the borders of the EU. They are very conscious of the role that EU trade agreements play in facilitating their access to non-EU markets.
France - Canadians catch a whiff of French cheese
Fromagerie Delin is a French cheese producer based close to Nuits-Saint-Georges in Burgundy. The company is a perfect example of the opportunities created for small businesses as a result of EU trade deals. The company’s international success has supported the breadth of its supply chain.
France - Canadians satisfy a sweet tooth
La Confiserie du Roy René is a French confectioner. The company has been perfecting the art of calissons (sweets made of candied fruit and almonds) since 1920. The company adopted a strategy of internationalisation in 2014 by taking advantage of EU trade deals with partners around the world.
France - CETA is all sweetness and light
Technilum is a French designer and manufacturer of customized aluminium urban and outdoor lighting furniture.
France - Champagne exports make a fizz in Mexico
The 2000 EU-Mexico trade deal has multiplied trade, investment, growth and jobs on both sides of the Atlantic. With the planned strengthening of the deal, the Drappier Champagne house, whose exports to Mexico have led to new jobs and increased production, will benefit from an even more open market.
France - Coopérative HEMP-it
HEMP-it is a leading producer of certified industrial hemp seeds without THC (the main psychoactive component of the cannabis plant) since 1964.
France - French car-sharing makes Singaporeans more mobile
In 2016, Blue Solutions was granted a contract by Singapore's Land Transport Authority and Economic Development Board to launch the city-state's first electric vehicle sharing scheme.
France - French manufacturer of gasometers fuels clean energy production in South Korea
VSO Biogas Technologies is a Bordeaux-based business which specialises in gasholders and equipment for biogas storage. Since the 2011 trade deal, VSO’s trade with South Korea has been generating a turnover of between €100,000 and €300,000 each year.
France - French start-up plays its cards right in South Korea
Evolis makes printing systems and plastic card personalisation solutions. The EU trade agreement with South Korea helps Evolis to offer its products to consumers at a more competitive price. Since the agreement entered into force, Evolis has seen an annual growth rate of approximately 17%.
France - French wine destined for international markets
The 2011 EU trade deal with South Korea has enabled French wine producer, Pascal Jolivet, to take advantage of lower commercial barriers to trade. Just three years after the agreement entered into force, Pascal Jolivet’s exports to South Korea had risen to more than 5,000 bottles each year.