#clothing manufacturers in Romania | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

sgiandubh · 8 months

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When you do not know a thing about the issue at stake...

...perhaps it's better to remain silent.

Some of you know, others don't - and that's fine - but my main field of expertise is labor law.

I just read this in anger and disbelief:

Look, lady. I don't care who the hell you are, what you do for a living or why you felt entitled to answer those insistent questions on your side of the fandom. I suppose you are North American and have no idea of how things work on this side of the pond. It is fine: I might know what a Congress filibuster is, for example, but I'd be severely unable to judge the finer points of competence sharing between Fed and state level.

The difference between you and me?

I keep my mouth shut and/or do my own research before opening it in public.

Have you no shame to write things like: 'It was discovered clothing factories in Bulgaria and Portugal made it and how workers were exploited, mostly women, because these factories were in special economic zones in these countries exempt from EU employee rights and regulations.'

HOW DARE YOU? What strange form of illiterate entitlement possessed you to utter such things with confidence, comfortably hidden behind a passive voice ('it was discovered')?

Portugal joined the EU in 1986. Bulgaria (and my country) joined the EU in 2007. I have given 5 relentless years of my life to make this collective political project a reality, along with hundreds of other people my age who chose to come back home from the West and put their skills to good use for their country. In doing so, I rejected more than 10 excellent corporate job offers in France and China. To see you come along and write such enormities is like having you spit in my face.

Article 4 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (aka The Treaty of Rome) is formal and clear, as far as competence sharing between the EU and its Member States goes (the UK was still, back then, a full member of the EU - it quit on February 1st 2020):

That means that ALL the EU regulations are being integrated into the national legislation of the Member States. This is not a copy/paste process, however. And because it is a shared competence area, the Member States have a larger margin of appreciation into making the EU rules a part of their own. While exceptions or delays in this process can be and are negotiated, the core principles are NEVER touched.

Read it one hundred times, madam, maybe you'll learn something today:

THERE ARE NO SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONES IN THE EUROPEAN UNION. THE WHOLE FUCKING EUROPEAN UNION IS A SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONE, THIS IS WHY IT IS CALLED THE SINGLE MARKET.

What the fuck do you think we are, Guangzhou? We'd wish, seeing the growth statistics!

Now, for the textile industry sector and particularly with regard to the Bulgarian market, a case very similar to my own country. Starting around 1965, many big European textile players realized the competitive advantage of using the lower paid, readily available Eastern European workforce. In order to be able to do business with all those dour Communist regimes, the solution was simple and easy to find: toll manufacturing.

It worked (and still does!) like this:

The foreign partner brings its own designs, textiles and know-how into the mix - or more simply put, it outsources all these activities. The locals transform it into the finished product, using their own workforce. The result is then re-exported to the foreign partner, who labels it and sells it. In doing so, he has the legal obligation to include provenance on the label ('made in Romania', 'made in Indonesia', 'made in Bulgaria' - you name it).

The reason you might find less and less of those 'made in ' labels nowadays at Primark and more and more at Barbour, Moncler and the such is the constant raise of the workers' wages in Eastern Europe since 1990 (things happened there, in 1989, maybe you remember?). We are not competitive anymore for midrange prêt-à-porter - China (Shein, anyone?), Cambodia and Mexico do come to mind as better suppliers. To speak about 'exploited female labourers in rickety old factories' is an insult and a lie. They weren't exploited back in the Eighties, as they are not now (workers in those factories were and still are easily paid about 50% more than all the rest) and the factories being modernized and constantly updated was always a mandatory clause in any contract of the sort. Normal people in our countries rarely or ever saw those clothes. You had to either be lucky enough for a semi-confidential store release or bribe someone working there and willing to take the risk, in order to be able to buy the rejected models on the local market.

If I understood correctly, you place this critical episode at the launch of the limited SRH & Barbour collection, for the fall of 2018. How convenient for you, who (I am told by trusted people) were one of the most vocal critics of S during Hawaii 2.0!

And as far as Barbour goes, it never pretended to manufacture everything in the UK only:

This information is absolutely true. You can read the whole statement, signed in October 2017 by one of their Directors, Ian Sime, here: https://www.barbour.com/us/media/wysiwyg/PDF/Ethical_Statement_October_2017.pdf

And a snapshot for you:

Oh, and: SEDEX is a behemoth in its world, with more than 75.000 companies joining as a member (https://www.sedex.com/become-a-member/meet-our-customers/). Big corporations like TESCO, Dupont, Nestle, Sainsbury's or Unilever included.

I am not Bulgarian, but I know all of this way better than you'll probably ever do. The same type of contracts were common all over Eastern Europe: Romania, Poland, the GDR (that's East Berlin and co, for you) and even the Soviet Union. I am also sure your Portuguese readers will be thrilled to see themselves qualified by a patronizing North American as labor exploiters living in a third-world country with rickety factories.

You people have no shame and never did. But you just proved with trooping colors you also have no culture and no integrity. More reasons to not regret my unapologetic fandom choice.

I expect an angry and very, very vulgar answer to this, even if I chose to not include your name/handle. The stench of your irrelevance crossed an ocean.

#fandom #shitshow

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beebascloset · 2 years

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Ethical Alternatives to Dolls Kill

While Dolls Kill offers kawaii, punk, goth, and streetwear fashions, they’re an unethical fast fashion company that has been accused of stealing designs from small creators. They’ve also been accused of promoting rape and racism (implying that only white people can be goth, selling a Native American headdress as a costume, and supporting police during the Black Lives Matter movement) and having a lack of transparency in how they reduce their impact on people, animals, and the environment. With this in mind, here are some of my favorite alternatives I found (you can tap on the titles to access the sites)

LOUDBODIES

This Romania-based retailer offers sizes from XXS-10XL, and you can even make a custom order for free if you'd like! Many of their pieces are pricey, but they do offer an affordable line of fashion. Their values include sustainable and recycled materials, made-to-order clothing, low waste production, OEKO-TEX certified fabrics, carbon neutral shipping, body-inclusive models (see above) and locally-made clothing. They also offer worldwide shipping.

NOCTEX

NOCTEX is great for dark, goth, edgy fashion. They’re based in Canada and ship internationally. Available sizes only include XS-XL, but this retailer uses reclaimed and deadstock materials, and also have low-waste production. They offer many items including tops, dresses, pants, skirts, footwear, and accessories like bags, makeup, and jewelry, so there’s a lot to choose from!

Uye Surana

For lingerie lovers, this is the place! While they’re based in New York, their clothing is ethically made in Columbia, with cute designs that come in sizes XS-5XL, so it’s quite inclusive! Items include bralettes, undies, stockings, camis, and garter belts, so go on and be adorably sexy, my loves.

KILLSTAR

Despite being introduced by Dolls Kill, the UK brand Killstar is actually more ethical. In fact, they’ve cut their ties with the brand over the owner’s support of police during the BLM movement. They’ve donated to charities that promote ending racism (whereas Dolls Kill promoted racism to an extent) and they also promote individuality. They offer sizes XS-4XL (from what I’ve found) and they even have men’s clothing!

Broken Promises

Another brand that left Dolls Kill, Broken Promises is based in California. Offering sizes XS-3XL, this brand offers clothing that caters to skate culture for all genders. Their clothes are also sold at Zumiez, so if you don’t want to shop online and you would prefer to go to the mall, you’ll probably find them there!

Disturbia

And another UK gothic brand that was promoted by Dolls Kill, this family-owned business has been going strong since 2003. Their website claims that sustainability is “a core value in [their] ethos”, and their goal is to create fashion that doesn’t harm the environment. They’re committed to recycling and reducing their carbon footprint, and all of their leather is false or recycled to reduce animal cruelty. They have a fully traceable supply chain with manufacturers in the UK, China, Portugal, Turkey, and Morocco, all with safe production facilities. Rest assured, your money will be going to a great place.

Cyberdog

Ravers, this one is for you. Catering to clubbers and DJs since 1994, Cyberdog offers neon and dark streetwear. They’re based in London, and their flagship store is located in Camden Market, so anyone who lives around the area (or would like to visit) can see these rad designs in person! (P.S: A huge downside is that they only offer sizes S-L, so this brand has the smallest size range on here)

Gothic Lamb

“The home for melanated misfits”, as their designer calls it, is black-owned and offers sizes from S-5XL, making this brand one of the more inclusive ones on this list. The owner, who calls herself Lucy, founded Gothic Lamb in the summer of 2016. She was inspired by brands like Killstar and Disturbia, however, she found that there was a lack of representation at the time, as she felt that none of the models looked like her, so she decided to create her own. While there is a small collection, it’s still a great collection and it’s a great place to purchase from if you like supporting black-owned businesses.

publicspace

A vaporwave-streetwear brand based in Los Angeles, CA, they support and collaborate with artists to create their designs (hence why they’re named publicspace). Though they have a small collection, their size range is XS-3XL, so it’s mostly inclusive.

Shop secondhand

You can also shop on Etsy to purchase from independent designers. A much cheaper option would be to shop secondhand. Sites like Poshmark and Depop are great for shopping secondhand, especially if you want to buy from fast fashion brands like H&M and Shein without giving them your money. Alternatively, you can go to your local thrift shop (do not shop at the Salvation Army, they are aggressively Christian, homophobic and transphobic) or consignment store. You can give your unwanted clothes and other items to these places (consignment stores will give you a certain percentage of their price for the item) to help people and need.

In conclusion, please do not buy from unethical fast fashion retailers and consider shopping ethically, whether it be for new or used clothes.

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ukrainenews · 2 years

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Daily Wrap Up December 6, 2022

Under the cut:

Ukrainian embassies have received more “bloody packages”, according to its foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, in what Kyiv has described as a “campaign of terror and intimidation”. Over the past week, Ukraine said its diplomatic missions in countries across Europe had been targeted with packages soaked in liquid with a distinctive smell and containing animals’ eyes. Kuleba said Ukraine’s embassies in Romania and Denmark received such packages today.

Norway to allocate 14.5 million euros to military assistance for Ukraine. Norway’s government said it would supply Ukraine with 55,000 units of winter clothing, an M109 self-propelled howitzer, spare parts for military equipment repairs, individual first-aid kits, and 30,000 field rations.

Russia’s defense ministry said Monday it has deployed mobile coastal defense missile systems on a northern Kuril island, part of a strategically located chain of islands that stretch between Japan and the Russian Kamchatka Peninsula. Japan lays claim to the Russian-held southern Kuril islands, which Tokyo calls the Northern Territories, a territorial row that dates to the end of World War Two, when Soviet troops seized them from Japan.

Russian and Ukrainian authorities have confirmed the exchange of 120 people in a prisoner swap.

“Ukrainian embassies have received more “bloody packages”, according to its foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, in what Kyiv has described as a “campaign of terror and intimidation”.

Over the past week, Ukraine said its diplomatic missions in countries across Europe had been targeted with packages soaked in liquid with a distinctive smell and containing animals’ eyes. Kuleba said Ukraine’s embassies in Romania and Denmark received such packages today.

As of Friday, Ukraine said 17 embassies had been targeted, indicating that another was delivered on Saturday. Ukraine’s foreign ministry said the packages had been delivered to its embassies in Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland, Croatia and Italy, to general consulates in Naples and Kraków, and the consulate in Brno in the Czech Republic.

On Monday, Spanish police said they had intercepted three more envelopes containing animal eyes addressed to Ukraine’s embassy in Madrid and its consulates in Barcelona and Málaga.

A Ukrainian embassy employee in Madrid was injured on Wednesday by a letter bomb, which was addressed to Ukraine’s ambassador to Spain. A further four letter bombs were sent on Wednesday to addresses in Spain, including to a Spanish arms manufacturer that has produced rockets donated to Ukraine, as well as Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, and the US embassy in Madrid.

In an interview with CNN on Friday, Kuleba described what followed the Madrid attack as “more weird” and “even sick”.

Asked who he thought was behind the packages, Kuleba said he “feels tempted to name Russia” as it benefits from sowing fear among Ukrainian diplomats. But he added that it could also be someone who sympathises with Russia, so he would await the findings of ongoing investigations.”-via The Guardian

“Norway will make a voluntary financial contribution to the European Union Military Assistance Mission in support of Ukraine, according to the Council of the European Union. “Norway’s financial support…will give an additional boost to train and equip the Ukrainian Armed Forces as they continue their courageous fight against the Russian aggression,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said.

The EU military assistance mission was established on Oct. 17 to provide individual, collective and specialized training to Ukraine’s Armed Forces. The mission aims to train up to 15,000 Ukrainian servicemen on the territory of EU member states.

On Nov. 25, Norway’s government said it would supply Ukraine with 55,000 units of winter clothing, an M109 self-propelled howitzer, spare parts for military equipment repairs, individual first-aid kits, and 30,000 field rations.”-via Kyiv Independent

“Montenegro will donate 11% of its military budget to Ukraine, the prime minister's office said Monday.

The donation, along with "receiving thousands of refugees," shows the Montenegrin government’s "clear determination to support the defence of Ukrainians," the statement from the Office of the Prime Minister of Montenegro Dritan Abazović said.

The terms were agreed by Abazović and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who signed a joint declaration on Monday, according to Zelensky’s Telegram channel.

"Today, we signed the Joint Declaration, which defines the priority areas of cooperation between Ukraine and Montenegro within the strategic course of our country to acquire full membership in NATO," Zelensky said in the Telegram post.

"I am grateful to Montenegro for the strong political support and important practical help to Ukraine," he added. Abazović said on Twitter that Montenegro "wants peace."

"That is why we express our unequivocal support for Ukraine and its people with a view to safeguarding their integrity, sovereignty and right to a free life," added Abazović.”-via CNN

“Russia’s defense ministry said Monday it has deployed mobile coastal defense missile systems on a northern Kuril island, part of a strategically located chain of islands that stretch between Japan and the Russian Kamchatka Peninsula.

Japan lays claim to the Russian-held southern Kuril islands, which Tokyo calls the Northern Territories, a territorial row that dates to the end of World War Two, when Soviet troops seized them from Japan.

The Russian Bastion systems, which have missiles with a flight range of up to 500 km (310 miles), were deployed on the island of Paramushir, the Russian defense ministry said Monday.

“Coastal servicemen of the Pacific Fleet will keep a round-the-clock watch to control the adjacent water area and strait zones,” it said.”-via CNN

“Russian and Ukrainian authorities have confirmed the exchange of 120 people in a prisoner swap.

According to the Russian defense ministry, 60 Russian servicemen have been returned from "Kyiv-controlled territory."

Returned soldiers will be treated and rehabilitated at the defense ministry's facilities, it said.

Ukraine will receive 60 prisoners in return, said Andrii Yermak, head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, on Telegram.

"This is the best news on the holiday," said Yermak. Of the total, there are 58 men and two women, with 14 prisoners captured during the siege of the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol.

Details surrounding the timing of the swap and location have not been released.”-via CNN

#Daily update #Ukraine #Russia #War in Ukraine #Norway #kuril islands

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marketinsight1234 · 5 months

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Circular Economy Market Analysis, Key Trends, Growth Opportunities, Challenges and Key Players by 2032

Circular Economy Market Size Was Valued at USD 3.1 Trillion in 2023 and is Projected to Reach USD 6.3 Trillion by 2032, Growing at a CAGR of 8.20 % From 2024-2032.

There was no one person who came up with the idea for a circular economy. The phrase itself is mostly a 21st-century invention, even if the idea behind it was originally explored in the middle of the 20th century. A circular economy, sometimes referred to as circularity or CE, is a production and consumption paradigm that places an emphasis on extending the life of pre-existing resources and things by sharing, renting, reusing, mending, and recycling. CE focuses on the design-based application of the three guiding principles of the model to tackle problems including pollution, waste, biodiversity loss, and climate change. the three pillars of a circular economy: reclaiming nature, recycling products and materials, and cutting down on waste and pollution.

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Leading players involved in the Circular Economy Market include:

Covanta Holding Corporation, Hitachi Zosen Corporation, Suez Environment S.A Clean Harbors Inc, The Savola Group, IKEA Food, Remondis AG and Co. Kg, Waste Management Inc, Biffa Group, Daiseki Co. Ltd, Cisco, Levi Strauss, H&M Group, Advanced Disposal Services, Veolia Environment S.A, and Other Major Players

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Segmentation of Circular Economy Market:

By Waste Management

Electronic Waste

Food Waste

Plastic Recycling

Clothing & Textile

Wood Recycling

Glass Recycling

By Industry

Textile

Construction

Automotive

Logistics

Furniture

Oil & Gas

Market Segment by Regions: -

North America (US, Canada, Mexico)

Eastern Europe (Bulgaria, The Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Rest of Eastern Europe)

Western Europe (Germany, UK, France, Netherlands, Italy, Russia, Spain, Rest of Western Europe)

Asia Pacific (China, India, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, The Philippines, Australia, New Zealand, Rest of APAC)

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About us:

Introspective Market Research (introspectivemarketresearch.com) is a visionary research consulting firm dedicated to helping our clients grow and successfully impact the marketplace. Our team at IMR is ready to help our clients grow their businesses by offering strategies to achieve success and monopoly in their respective fields. We are a global market research company, specializing in the use of big data and advanced analytics to gain a broader picture of market trends. We help our customers to think differently and build a better tomorrow for all of us. As a technology-driven research company, we consider extremely large data sets to uncover deeper insights and provide conclusive consulting. We don't just provide intelligence solutions, we help our clients achieve their goals.

Introspective Market Research

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Ph no: +1-773-382-1049

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marketdevelopment · 5 months

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Premium Denim Jeans Market: Global Industry Analysis and Forecast 2023 – 2030

The Global Premium Denim Jeans Market size is expected to grow from USD 10.31 billion in 2022 to USD 17.32 billion by 2030, at a CAGR of 6.7% during the forecast period (2023-2030).

Premium Denim Jeans can be identified as high lower-body attire that is worn by both men and women across all age groups. These jeans are normally constructed utilizing superior-quality dungaree and denim materials to provide greater comfort to the wearer.

By manufacturing premium denim, vendors place particular emphasis on maintaining high levels of quality, innovation, and craftsmanship. In comparison to cheap jeans, they are more durable in terms of materials and colors and also improve the general aesthetic appeal of an individual.

Currently, companies primarily examine numerous characteristics like as stretchiness, durability, clothing design, and simple washability of denim apparel to deliver bespoke wearable solutions to consumers.

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Leading players involved in the Premium Denim Jeans Market include:

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If You Have Any Query Premium Denim Jeans Market Report, Visit:

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Segmentation of Premium Denim Jeans Market:

By Age Group

Baby

Teenager

Adults

Elderly

By Distribution Channel

Speciality Stores

Supermarkets and Hypermarkets

Online Stores

Others

By End Users

Women

Men

Children

By Regions: -

North America (US, Canada, Mexico)

Eastern Europe (Bulgaria, The Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Rest of Eastern Europe)

Western Europe (Germany, UK, France, Netherlands, Italy, Russia, Spain, Rest of Western Europe)

Asia Pacific (China, India, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, The Philippines, Australia, New Zealand, Rest of APAC)

Middle East & Africa (Turkey, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, Israel, South Africa)

South America (Brazil, Argentina, Rest of SA)

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Acquire This Reports: -

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About us:

Introspective Market Research (introspectivemarketresearch.com) is a visionary research consulting firm dedicated to assisting our clients to grow and have a successful impact on the market. Our team at IMR is ready to assist our clients to flourish their business by offering strategies to gain success and monopoly in their respective fields. We are a global market research company, that specializes in using big data and advanced analytics to show the bigger picture of the market trends. We help our clients to think differently and build better tomorrow for all of us. We are a technology-driven research company, we analyse extremely large sets of data to discover deeper insights and provide conclusive consulting. We not only provide intelligence solutions, but we help our clients in how they can achieve their goals.

Introspective Market Research

3001 S King Drive,

Chicago, Illinois

60616 USA

Ph no: +1-773-382-1047

Email: [email protected]

#Premium Denim Jeans #Premium Denim Jeans Market #Premium Denim Jeans Market Size #Premium Denim Jeans Market Share #Premium Denim Jeans Market Growth #Premium Denim Jeans Market Trend #Premium Denim Jeans Market segment #Premium Denim Jeans Market Opportunity #Premium Denim Jeans Market Analysis 2023

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eshaunabarber · 4 years

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Fitness Clothing Manufacturer in Romania

Alanic Global is a trusted wholesale supplier of functional fitness clothing. Each outfit is incorporated with nano-technology features for a better performance

#wholesale gym clothes in Denmark #fitness clothing in Malta #workout clothes wholesale in Albania #fitness clothing manufacturer in Romania

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sharonallen246 · 4 years

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#Custom Clothing Manufacturers #Romania

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generallemarc · 2 years

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Masterpost of all consumer companies still operating in Russia, and the brands they own

These are the companies that think it’s ok to do business as usual knowing that the money they pay in taxes goes to fund Putin’s war machine. Apologies if I get some of these companies wrong, or if I identify a company that doesn’t actually sell to us everyday consumers-alot of these are foreign and I’ve only got Google to tell me what they do. I know that this is long, but please read it. So many others have left-we can pressure them to leave too.

Agrana Group-Based in Austria, they operate the following food brands: Moravskoslezské cukrovary s.r.o, Magyar Cukor Zrt., Slovenské cukrovary s.r.o., S.C. Agrana Romania S.A., Hungrana Kft., S.C.A.F.D. Tandarei S.R.L., Agrana Fruit S.A.S.

Aimbridge Hospitality-Based in America, they run hotels under this name as well as the brand Interstate Hotels & Resorts

Air China

Alibaba

Anadolu Efes-Turkish brewery that also operates Efes Breweries International B.V. in the Netherlands and has a majority stake in the company responsible for distributing Coca-Cola within Turkey. Coke itself has paused all operations within Russia.

Anta Sports Products Ltd-Chinese-based sporting goods manufacturer.

AnyDesk Software

Ariston Thermo-Italo-Dutch company that manufactures primarily heating systems under the brands Ariston, Chaffoteaux, Elco, Racold, Régent, Atag, NTI, HTP, Cuenod, Ecoflam and Thermowatt

Asics-Japanese sporting goods store known internationally for their running shoes.

Auchan-French retailer that operates Ceetrus and the financial services company Oney

Babolat-French sporting goods company

Bajaj Auto-Indian scooter and motorcycle manufacturer

Benetton-Italian Fashion brand

Bharat Petroluem

Binbit-Mexican mobile entertainment company

Bonduelle-French processed vegetable company

Calzedonia-Italian fashion group

Carl’s Jr.-American restaurant that also operates as Hardee’s

Check Point Software-Israeli cybersecurity firm

China Mobile and China United Communications Service

Chipita-Greek food company that operates the brands 7DAYS, Fineti, and Chipicao

Cofix Coffee-Israeli coffee shop that also has locations in Poland

Colin’s-Turkish clothing company

Corendon Airlines

Cremonini Group-Italian food company that operates the brands Chef Express, Mokà, Mr. Sandwich and Roadhouse Grill.

De Cecco-Italian pasta manufacturer that also sells olive oil, sauces and vinegar

Diadora-Italian fashion brand

Etam-French clothing company

Etihad Airways

Giorgio Armani

Global Fashion Group

Hard Rock Cafe

JD.com-Chinese online retailer.

JDE Peet’s-Dutch beverage company that owns the following brands: Bell Tea (New Zealand)Bravo Caboclo (Brazil)Café do Ponto (Brazil )Café HAG Café Pelé (Brazil)Café Prima Cafe Switch Campos Coffee Caffiato Damasco (Brazil)Douwe Egberts, Friele ,Gevalia, Grand Mère, Harris(coffee filters in australia) papers in Australia)Horniman's Tea Hummingbird (New Zealand), Marcilla (Spain) Mastro Lorenzo, Maxwell House(USA).

Mod’s Hair-French hair styling company

Qatar Airways

Quicksilver-American clothing brand

Raiffeisen Bank International

Riot Games-American company owned by Tencent, publisher of League of Legends, Valorant, and Teamfight Tactics

SAIC Motors-Chinese automotive firm

Sbarro Pizza-American restaurant

Storck-German candy company which produces the Chateau brand chocolate sold in Aldi’s and the Werther’s Original candies.

Tencent-Chinese tech conglomerate

TGI Friday’s-American restaurant

Tupperware

Turkish Airlines

Please add on with any you find that I’ve missed. @silent-calling @ford-ye-fiji

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gymclothesonline · 1 year

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varnabulgaria · 5 years

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MANUFACTURES of BULGARIA

It is a question of great importance for the future of Bulgaria to know whether she will remain an agricultural country or turn to industrial occupations. For the last seven or eight years this question has been under consideration, and Bulgarian economists have not yet been able to solve it. Many of them are of opinion that Bulgaria does not possess the qualities requisite for the development of national industries, and will always remain an agricultural country. But even they must recognise that the invincible force of universal progress will oblige Bulgaria to develop her industries as she modernises her methods of farming, just as other countries, among them France, Germany, and Italy, have done.

The oldest Bulgarian manufacture is weaving, which from ancient times has been widely spread in the country as a house industry. The wool of the district was worked up into cloths, carpets, braids, serges, etc., which were in request throughout the Ottoman Empire. The most important weaving centres are Pirdop, PanaguiourichtS, Karlovo, Sopot, Koprivchtitza, Klissoura, Kalofer, Gabrovo, Trevna, Sliven, Kotel and Samokov. Under Turkish rule, these towns supplied cloth to the Imperial army. Bulgarian cloths were held in the greatest esteem, and there was a constant demand for them in Greece, in Asia Minor, at Pirot and Nisch, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, etc.

Owing to this success, in 1880 some private individuals decided to start modem workshops. The example was given by the towns of Gabrovo and Sliven, where there are now large factories, organised on the most modem principles. There are as many as twentysix factories in other towns, among them, at Samokov and Kazanlik. Bulgaria, therefore, holds the first place for weaving in the Balkan peninsula. The following table gives interesting statistics regarding the Bulgarian weaving industry.

Town. Number of factories. Number of spindles. Hydraulic horse power. Horsepower of steam. Power looms. Hand looms.

Gabrovo 7 6,400 385 370 92 —

Sliven 14 8,016 200 24O 85 121

Samokov 2 1,020 65 l6 15 —

Karlovo 1 1,244 40 80 12 .—

Kazanlik 1 850 — IOO 8 —

Kotel 1 300 10 — — 6

Total 26 17,830 7°° 806 212 127

Weaving sheds

The total value of the weaving sheds and factories is about 5,500,0 francs. The capital is exclusively Bulgarian, the result of years of industry and thrift. Had foreign capital been invested in the industry, it might have had a far greater development. We hope that capitalists will interest themselves in our textiles, the more so as the new protectionist tariff guarantees the future of the national industries.

Three thousand workpeople, men, women, and children, are employed. The country owns about 7,000,000 sheep, which yield 120,000 kilograms of wool yearly. For the last ten years this has not sufficed for the manufacture, which has been obliged to supplement the supply from foreign markets. The importation of wool increases every year, as may be seen from the following table:

Natural Wool. Washed Wool. Carded Wool.

Year. Kilograms. Fra. Kilograms. Fn. Kilograms. Frm.

I904 468,676 561,295 8,881 23,042 1,322 2,540

1903 299,082 359,082 11,613 39,414 4,088 17,869

1902 311,128 369,578 21,626 62,164 20,994 54,491

1901 237,447 279,83a 92,376 258,421 2,056 7,193

1900 52,337 55,134 22,362 79,510 22 79

1899 37,042 42,607 15,139 43,6l6 105 425

1898 54,621 52,112 79,455 225,379 14 45

1897 138,875 155,029 17,174 52,574 7,154 21,640

1896 107,861 123,641 11,728 37,219 40 335

1895 313,216 351,428 37,633 110,835 9 45

1894 540,063 605,317 38,615 60,636 5,164 17,643

1893 328,162 295,804 9,216 9,297 1,128 2,599

1890 313,395 311,127 no separate ac x8 135

Most of the natural wool imported comes from Romania, the washed wool from Austria, Germany, France and Belgium.

As a matter of course, the export of Bulgarian cloths grows considerably each year, as is shown by the following statistics:

Year. Coarse cloths. Kilogr. Frs. Kilogr. Sergei.

Frs.

1904 51,319 121,843 264,870 1,130,528

1903 57,015 133,999 329,510 1,631,860

1902 81,475 161,266 397,661 1,601,639

1901 62,149 173,324 391,705 1,577,497

1900 57,793 143,309 335,778 1,376,896

1899 70,733 172,815 277,716 1,187,425

1898 75,805 300,503 297,126 1,330,127

1897 62,165 209,498 260,047 1,049,816

1896 59,128 180,925 210,213 800,009

1895 86,875 307,892 244,531 982,746

1894 104,770 408,903 267,070 1,126,454

1893 127,230 514,235 223,754 971,051

Year. Cloth and dyed stuffs. Kilogr. Frs. Kilogr. Braids.

Frs.

1904 7,270 47,811 126,532 615,038

I903 6,925 48,506 147,583 701,023

1902 13,243 78,671 188,568 933,268

1901 i3,m 77,163 179,602 830,810

1900 8,744 50,644 148,885 680,358

1899 8,248 48/490 165,866 757,854

1898 12,361 67,415 I9i»867 847,244

1897 9,531 55/435 137,573 646,548

1896 6,967 40,804 135,250 635/402

1895 7,910 52,504 165,791 773,290

1894 5,795 32,363 186,799 884,823

1893 8,108 49,807 184,141 868,982

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lodelcar · 5 years

Text

BUILDING UP A FOREIGN TRADE ACTIVITY IS PRECEDED BY BUILDING UP A BUSINESS

picture: modern lace worker, Brussels

Introduction

I have written this text to share it with my postgraduate students from the VUB. They start a year of International Trade and Investment full of courage from various nationalities and from various study backgrounds. They do this with a great deal of diligence and dedication but often find that they do not master the premises: the fact that the course deals with doing business, producing, trading, buying and selling. For many of them, who are at the start of a professional life, even the theoretical knowledge about this is lacking.

That is why I have decided, during an hour and a half, with many examples, to try and guide them in doing business.

1. Doing business

Doing business takes only three forms: it is either about producing something or about purchasing items and then reselling them, or about selling one’s own knowledge and skills to third parties. People sometimes need material for the latter, but they don't sell it. People only sell their workforce and intelligence. The latter are called services. Although they account for between 75% and 80% of the economic activities in most countries, in this article I will deliberately limit myself to agriculture and the manufacturing industry. Because in this presentation we want to end up at trading with foreign partners, and this is primarily about tangible products.

Two stories can support this:

The company F.E. T* 2011, 100 km from the Ukrainian capital Kiev has 2000 ha of land, which it owns partially and leases mostly (long lease 50 y). 80% of the farm’s turnover comes from traditional crops, such as wheat and corn. In order to make future oriented products, the farmer started to develop an entire line (30 items) of dairy products from goat milk, to yoghurt and kephir and even ice cream since 2016. Today the income of this activity line is good for 20% of the turnover. The farmer aims at reaching 50% over 5 years. The goats have been purchased in France and a breeding process started. They now have 1500 goats and intent to increase the amount to up to 3000 goats. They have a milk production capacity for up to 7000 l/day. They are at 2000 l/day. The equipment for milk treatment is Israeli, as well as the milk production supervisor. Cheese production equipment comes from France and Italy as well as their cheese making consultant. The ice cream consultant comes from Italy. The farmer goes yearly to a large goat fair Caprina in France where he learns about gear and equipment and meets potential consultants. This dairy line is a typical example of vertical integration. The production is entirely mastered by the farm from the breeding of goats, the collection and distillation of the milk, the production of the dairy products, the production of the bottles out of small plastic objects purchased in China, the bottling, the development of logo and packaging design, the packaging and the transportation to the retailers. Important is that the farm does and finances market research, developed its own brand Z*, as well as its own design with colour codes. They even intend to create in the future a second high-end brand. These steps enables them to grow organically and in a sustainable way. They declined until now to produce for private labels of retailers. Even with Auchan, with whom they negotiate now, they declined the private label production.

The company W* close to Chisinau in Moldova sells tractors and agricultural equipment from the brand C*, of which they have a dealership agreement during 3 years in Moldova. Before they had a dealership with the Italian M* G*. They also sell equipment from the Swedish brand V*. The company recently built new premises as rep office for C*. They built a state of the art show room and offices with workshop for repairing. The company also sells fertilisers and pesticides as well as seeds for crops. They don’t sell liquids but solid boxes. Their suppliers are BASF, Bayer, Pioneer for the seeds. They produce also seeds themselves (sunflowers).

Services companies are often related to ICT development. Until five years ago, ICT focused primarily on processes and their management. Because of our increasingly complex society, which demands more transparency, which requires faster and more thorough reporting, and which is monitored more and more, large companies have to manage such large volumes of data that they can use help for this. Data is becoming very important, now even more for large, say, listed companies. But medium-sized companies will suffer the same fate in the future. The engineers at the -nowadays “unicorn”- company C* in Brussels are active in data governance and in data stewardship. In this way they do not address the IT departments within a company, but rather the business people themselves.. There are 20 potential customers in Belgium. That is why they had resolutely gone international from the start. They are mainly talking to banks, insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, etc. But also large governments, large public companies, universities.

2. Import and export

Import and export are often activities that go together in the same company. A company often needs products that are not present in its own country or that are present at too high a price or of poor quality. The company needs these products both to make its own products and to sell them to other customers. He will therefore have to import them. A company is sometimes approached at a trade fair or thanks to its website via e-mail by foreign companies who are convinced that they can use the semi-finished products or raw materials that our company produces in their own production process. In other circumstances our company finds a foreign-interested company at a trade fair that is convinced that there is a market for our company's products in its country and that it wants to sell it there.

3. Producing and selling products.

A company from the manufacturing industry needs raw materials or semi-finished products to make its own products. Depending on the type of quality that they wish to deliver, they must determine where they will purchase their raw materials. Are these present in the country itself or do they have to import them? They also need machines to manufacture their products. Depending on the quality that they are trying to deliver, on their financing options and on the number of staff they have at their disposal, they will purchase their machines, either abroad or domestically but often from abroad.

The company O* in Obuchov,Ukraine has machinery for 2 types of products: polyamide and cotton for women and children socks. They are the second producer in Ukraine. The cotton comes from Turkey, the polyamide from Italy, the elastane from Korea through Poland, the yarn from Italy.

The company D* in Chisinau, Moldova produces fiberglass mesh for construction, especially walls and insolation. It produces 1,2 M m²/month. Thanks to a new machine of the K* from Chemnitz they will be able to double their production to 2.5 M m²/month. They export 90% of his product to Romania, Bulgaria, Germany, Spain and Italy. The company has 100 staff members and is looking this to extend by recruiting 40 new staff members. They have difficulties to find qualified staff. The raw material comes by 80 % from Bielarus, by 20% % from Germany, Switzerland, Latvia and Poland.

4. Buying and selling products

This activity is often performed by a permanent sales representative in a region or a country. This person or company can be established as self-employed in the country (agent, shop / webshop), or can be established as a subsidiary of the foreign company (sales office, shop / webshop) with its own legal status. A representative on the payroll of the foreign company may also be located in the country: he may sell the products but the deal is concluded by the main house abroad and the invoice also comes from the main house. The company W* described above, also houses the rep office of the company for whom they do the sales in the Chisinau region.

Why are companies entering and selling products from abroad? There can be several reasons for this. It is possible that a specific type of machine or product is not produced on the local market because the size of the country is too small for it. It may also be that the importer can deliver in a cheaper way than the products already on the market. It may also be that the new products are much more sophisticated and can therefore make them work much more productively. It may also be that products have built up such a reputation or became a brand that is in demand throughout the world. This last one is the case for many fancy clothing brands like Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, Dior etc.

Which products do companies offer abroad? That can be anything: from raw materials such as seeds for agriculture, yarns for textiles or fiberglass for construction, to semi-finished products such as fabrics for clothing, goats for milk and cheese production to finished products such as luxury clothing, refrigerators but also cooling installations for cold storage.

The company V* – Groups Ltd in Kiev, Ukraine is a trader. He buys cereals and looks for opportunities. He does business with Sri Lanka, Myanmar, India and many other countries. His warehouse capacity was insufficient and obsolete. He stocked on the ground floor. With a bank loan he has been able to construct 2 grain silos of 3,018 tons capacity each. The silos are erected close to a railway platform, thus avoiding logistical problems and damage to the goods. He found a new business opportunity with Sri Lanka for sale of split yellow peas and next requires an optical sorting machine.

5. The production or purchasing process and its financial aspects

A production company might purchase raw materials or semi-finished products from elsewhere. Before the production of their new product is finished, several weeks or months sometimes pass. And then the new product must still be put on the market, sold and the invoice must be paid. A company therefore needs a financial buffer: that is called working capital. Chocolate producers in Belgium and Switzerland who supply products for the Chinese New Year, which often takes place in February, start their production in September of the year before! Companies often purchase large quantities of raw materials at times when they are offered cheaply and stock them for later production. The same applies to a store: it purchases finished products to resell in the store. There is also a lead time of several days, weeks or months. Here, too, the store needs a buffer called working capital.

The company O* in Ukraine makes pavement tiles out of concrete with artistic top layers. They produce 300 different types of pavement in 60 different shapes. They also produce stone levelling machines of the brand W*. They have offices in Lviv, Ukraine but have their production is set-up 80 km further, where they have 4 separate plants. During winter season, because of the cold, the production is stopped. They received a loan from the bank over 3 year for working capital, since January 2017. The additionality of this loan type for O* is the tenor: 3 years’ working capital enables a company to plan strategically: buy raw material when prices are low and stock it in order to produce through a longer period. And also have a 5-month buffer stock in times of scarcity through political crisis. They have large storage capacities (70.000 tons) for as well raw as finished material.

But those companies also need machines for their production, storage areas, large stores for their sales, trucks for their transport, tractors to work their land. They purchase them or build them with a bank loan. The cost of that loan must be passed on in the selling price. These loans, which are usually of a longer duration, are called investment capital. A company can also invest with its own resources.

The company K* , a wine production company in Georgia specialises in making wines for the lower and medium segment, priced at USD 5 to 8 /bottle. 75% of its production goes to the former CIS countries, of which 50% to Russia, where they have a distributor with the necessary connections, the remainder goes to Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia. The final 25% goes to China, US and recently, the UK. In 2016 the company invested in new reservoir tanks, fermentation facilities, refrigerators, a steam generator and a filling & labelling line. The client received in total a loan from BoG. In 2017, the company reapplied for a second loan for land, construction, production facilities over 36 months. Additionally, they invested in health and safety procedures for the workers, environmental protection (by reducing ozone depleting substances), low voltage machinery, electromagnetic compatibility and in measures for materials that come in contact with food. Thanks to the investments the company increased its production volume from 4,6 m litres in 2016 to 6 m litres in 2017, an impressive 35% increase. In labelling and bottling they were able to increase production by 50%.

6. Access to finance

All research reports around the world reveal that access to finance is the aspect that most often blocks the growth of SMEs. Working capital is usually requested for relatively short periods, such as three, six or twelve months. However, the amounts required are often important. The duration of the loan for capital goods is longer: this depends on the price and durability of the good: a computer is outdated after 4 years, a car or light truck starts to show signs of wear after 5 years, machines will certainly be operational during 10 to 20 years, industrial buildings as well. But do the banks have any loans with this duration for all those terms?

A bank's assignment is simple and difficult at the same time. A bank collects money from people who can spare the cash for a certain period of time and gives a fee for this. In Western Europe and North America, this allowance has been peanuts for several years. In Eastern Europe, Africa, large parts of Asia and Latin America, this allowance is quite substantial. Yet most of these “savers” are wary of leaving their money with the banks for too long: they want to buy things with it, or they do not trust the monetary policy of their country and are always afraid of a devaluation of their currency. With the money that banks collect from citizens and companies, they finance loans. They earn their profit through the spread between the interest rate they give for the savings and the interest rate they charge for the credits. But it is difficult for them to grant 10-year loans if they can only collect one-year savings. Moreover, there are few citizens who put away savings for 20 years. The only ones that do that are the pension funds. But what if there aren't any in a country? Which is the case in many countries. The international financial institutions such as African Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, European Investment Bank and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development offer longer-term loans to local banks, that can then transfer them to their customers. Only: most of those loans are in dollars or euros. Again a problem. Because the citizens and companies of the country usually do not have repayment capacity in dollars or euros but in the local currency. And if that local currency is not stable and has a tendency to devalue frequently, local banks are not keen to withdraw long-term dollars or euro loans. Hedging is the only option that remains. Hedging is a type of contract that a bank concludes with a specialized institution to mitigate the risk of devaluation: the contract foresees the exchange rate of euro / dollar to the local currency at the time of repayment, even if the local currency has meanwhile been devalued. Hedging in this case can be considered as a type of insurance. And there are now some companies that also dare to hedge "exotic" currencies. The price ,for this insurance is important though: up to 7 % of the amount.

Banks also do not like to take risks. It is often the central bank of the country that obliges them to be very restrictive in giving loans. Because they have been confronted in the past with bad loans to large outdated government companies that were poorly managed and therefore worked with losses. Governments that have to bear such a burden then hit back with the blunt ax and prevent any loan that is not covered by collateral. Where all statistics indicate that lending to SMEs is much less risky!

Therefore: collateral. In many countries, the way collaterals can be offered to guarantee credit is limited to tangible assets: buildings, land, machines. Intangible assets like the company’s goodwill are not accepted. The valuation of the tangible assets is by law done by the Association of property evaluators. These experts apply the principle of “market value coverage”. Based upon their valuation the size of collateral is put by the bank. It mostly comes to 140% of the loan. Once a credit is taken, the bank declares it to the central credit reporting system. Based upon the regularity of the reimbursement a company is classified class 1, 2, 3 or 4. Class 1 is all payments are done on a regular basis. Class 2 is a company of which arrears were limited from 30 to 60 days. Companies with arrears of between 60 and 90 days are class 3. Companies with arrears of more than 90 days are sent to recovery as class 4. Recovery is compulsory and taken from the profit automatically and can therefore jeopardise the existence of the company. In certain cases the collateral will be sold without warning.

7. Difficulties to tackle

Managing a company goes further than ensuring that people and machines work, that stocks are replenished, that bills are paid and that sales run smoothly. There are constant obstacles that need to be overcome: the financial aspect, the transport aspect, the legal aspect and - once a company starts exporting - the political aspect.

7.1. The banking aspect

A company is practically obliged to work with a bank: it has to make payments and it often needs funds for working capital and for investments.

Payments go faster and smoother nowadays thanks to automation and now also thanks to fintech applications. There are payment cards and credit cards that allow customers to pay without cash and give the collecting company the assurance that the money will be in the account. There are international transaction systems such as SWIFT or the European IBAN that create uniformity between banks and countries and thereby make payment transactions run faster and more efficiently. The currency aspect remains a stumbling block. Although more and more currencies are freely exchangeable, there are still a lot of them that are not convertible. Contracts with companies from such countries are therefore often in USD, EUR or CNY. Banks that operate in those countries are not always considered reliable by the others and must therefore be patterned by an internationally respected confirming bank. There are even countries with which the US in particular are in conflict. They then oblige all banks in the world not to do transactions with banks from that country. Iran, Cuba and North Korea have been assigned such a fate. There are always solutions, but they are complicated and time-consuming.

We have already explained the credit aspect: the fact that in many countries long-term loans are far more the exception than the rule. The extravagant guarantees that are requested. The non-customer-oriented thinking of banks that only wait until a loan is repaid and have no eye for the growth of companies and the usefulness that these can have for the further development of a country. But also the positive role for SMEs that IFIs play such as African Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, European Investment Bank.

Last but not least is the interest charged on loans. In many countries, the interest rate is a double digit, and companies think this is freakish. Where do those freak interest rates come from? The Central Bank of a country offers its banks short-term loans to banks that need them to clear a deficit for one or a few days ("overnight" or tomorrow-next day = “tom-next”). The Central Bank itself is able to provide with these loans because it borrows money on the international money market and pays interest for that. The interest rate the central has to pay for that depends on the country's rating, which is the appreciation of the economy and the way a country makes economic progress. That appreciation is indicated depending on the rating agency with numbers and letters and reflects on the local currency. The lower those ratings are, the more risk premium a central bank has to pay on the international money market. She therefore passes on the risk premium to the local banks, which naturally also pass it on to their customers. Hence countries where the banks demand a double digit interest, when they provide with loans in local currency.

7.2. The transport system

Goods must reach the customer from the workplace. That requires transport. Road transport and train transport are usually the first choice for domestic transport. River transport is still very limited in Europe, is much more present in Asia. When it comes to transport to foreign destinations for import or export, the nature of the product - its weight, its durability, the urgency of the customer - determines the choice between truck, train, ship or plane. All these means of transport have their own international documents, luckily. International rules have also been worked out that determine who becomes the owner of the goods and when. These rules are called the Incoterms, and there are so 11 containing 3 letters each. There are RULES FOR EVERY TYPE OF TRANSPORTATION and there are RULES FOR OVERSEAS AND INLAND TRANSPORTATION BY VESSEL.

Import and export is also about customs and import duties to be paid. It is important to realize the value of customs zones such as the EU and free trade zones such as NAFTA, Mercosur, ECOWAS or ASEAN. The service provider that is most approached by companies to steer this aspect of transport in the right direction is the freight forwarder.

Transporting also entails risks: goods can be damaged or stolen, incidents such as harbor strikes can occur, so that perishable goods do not reach the customer in time. There are insurance policies for these types of problems, but they obviously cost and there is not always room to pass them on to the end customer.

7.3. The legal aspect

Trading within the same country offers few surprises once one knows the legal framework in which one operates. Foreign managers are often surprised that things are not treated in the same way everywhere. Anglo-Saxon legislation is based on a completely different approach than the European continental one. A contract based upon Anglo-Saxon law contains minimum 30 pages, a continental European one can be limited to three-four pages because everything is in the law. In the other continents, the laws were partly inspired by Americans and partly by Europeans. A treacherous aspect in the U.S. is, for example, the principle of litigation: one is going to provoke newcomers and then be able to sue them for not respecting the legislation.

A second aspect is the lack of certain pieces of legislation such as the law on bankruptcy, the law on pledging commercial goods, the law on claiming goods and objects, the mortgage legislation.

A third aspect is the independence of the courts. This is essential if the rule of law is to work objectively. But in many countries, judges are nationalistic, so a case brought to court by a foreign company, or where the foreign company needs to defend itself, is lost in advance.

7.4. The tax aspect

Taxes are the deepest expression of the deepest emotion of a country: there are hundreds and they take different aspects everywhere, even within a country. Brazil, the US and India are federal countries in which the states can collect taxes. And do so with pleasure. Informing yourself in advance is of the utmost importance because it can drastically influence the price worked out by consultants to the end consumer. And one must also know that the principle of VAT is not used all over the world, especially not in the US. Tax declarations are another aspect that one needs to check beforehand. In the US, certain spontaneous declarations are assumed, the consequences of a non-spontaneous declaration can be horrendous.

The last aspect that should be taken into account are the double taxation treaties. Thanks to this, a company only has to pay tax once, either in its home country or in the trading country. That is, for example, the reason why Belgian companies trade with China via Hong Kong.

7.5. The business development aspect

The Access to finance aspect has many consequences. Opportunities can pass because companies in a country have insufficient production capacity. This requires heavier and more efficient machines that cannot be purchased due to the lack of collateral.

The pharmaceutical production company I* in Cape Verde, Africa exported since 1995 to Angola and Mozambique. Those markets became too large and the company’s production capacity was unable to produce the required quantities based upon the governmental tenders they won. The quality is good, but the production capacity is not adapted to large markets.

The same goes for the printing sector in Rwanda, Africa who cannot fulfill orders to print packaging material on time because the local industry is unable to produce cardboard of the correct quality. All packaging cardboard has to be imported. And transportation over road in Africa is perilous and time consuming.

Another aspect that triggers problems is the cultural one. Our company I* in Cape Verde limits its export to Portuguese speaking countries, because otherwise they have to print several packaging types and product information, and they can’t stock it. Coca Cola has been active in China since 1995. That does not mean that the first years of the sales effort were a success. The Chinese were not used to drinking ice-cold drinks: their preference was for hot drinks. So it took Coca-Cola a lot of marketing effort to convince them that ice-cold drinks could quench their thirst. Eastern European wine producers from Romania, Bulgaria and Moldova have had to put a lot of effort into adapting their wines to Western European tastes. Eastern Europeans simply like semi-sweet wines and do not touch dry wines. In Western Europe, semi-sweet wines can only be sold to a very limited segment. It has therefore required a great deal of investment in new storage and maturing capacity (wooden or metal barrels) to produce specifically for Western Europe at a competitive price.

8. Geography and geopolitics

An International Trade and Investment student can be expected to find countries on a map. He can also be expected to realize that there are numerous free trade agreements between countries and groups of countries such as EU, NAFTA, Mercosur, ECOWAS, East-African Community, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN countries).

While a customs union and a free trade area are similar in some ways, they are also different. A customs union represents a higher level of economic integration than a free trade area does. The key distinction between customs unions and free trade areas, however, involves their approach to non-treaty nations. While a customs union, by definition, requires all parties to the agreement to establish identical external tariffs with regard to trade with non-treaty nations (those nations that are not signatories to the agreement), members of a free trade area are free to establish whatever tariff rates with respect to foreign imports from non-signatory nations that they deem necessary or desirable. An example of a customs union is the Southern African Customs Union (SACU). An example of free trade area is the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA). Members of the EU, the largest and most productive customs union in existence,, have agreed to, among other criteria for membership, maintain a common external tariff system with respect to outside nations. Free trade areas, like the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), are less cohesive to the extent that each of the three member nations, the United States, Canada and Mexico, are free to establish tariff policies distinct from each other.

But it is also important for him to grasp that some organizations and initiatives are not only created or organized inspired by goodwill. Certain organizations have been established for power reasons. Some have old-colonial some have also neo-colonial intentions. They exist, one has to work with them and sometimes for them, one can do business with them. One should not necessarily respond enthusiastically to them.

Students are invited to study the background, objectives and history of the following organizations: the Road and Belt initiative, Eurasian economic union, USAid, Eastern Partnership Agreement + DCFTA, Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) , Organization international de la Francophonie (OIF), the Commonwealth of Nations.

ATTACHMENT

Do you want to import products from non EU countries into the European Union?

https://www.brusselsnetwork.be/do-you-want-to-import-products-from-non-eu-countries-into-the-european-union/

If you want to import a product from a non European country into the European Union, you need to comply with import rules and taxes.

The Trade Helpdesk is specially designed for businesses based outside the EU or importing into the EU.

You’ll find all you need to know about exporting to the EU, including:

health, safety and technical standards you’ll need to meet

customs duties you’ll need to pay at the border

internal taxes in each of the 28 countries

the rules of origin that define where a product is from and whether it profits from preferential duty rates

forms to send with your shipments

Find your way on the Trade Helpdesk through the 6 easy steps for importing into Europe:

Open the search box.

Browse the classification tree or type a keyword.

Define your product, the exporting country and the importing country.

Check ‘Requirements’: the health, safety or technical standards your product needs to meet

Check the ‘Internal taxes’: the VAT or excise duties for your product in the importing country.

the standard rate of EU import duty for your product

a possibly reduced rate if the exporting country has a trade agreement with the EU or benefits from a preferential scheme

any quota or antidumping duties

they indicate the minimum processing your product must undergo in your contry to be considered as ‘originating’ there

the origin depends also on where the inputs you use for your final product are from

the customs offices at EU borders will verify your origin certificate

find out how much other countries are already exporting to the EU of your kind of product