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Regulations & legal advice

International trade often involves complex regulations and legislation. In collaboration with the regional institutions, the Belgian Foreign Trade Agency formulates an answer to various questions:

  • import and export regulations
  • purchase contracts and terms of delivery
  • health standards
  • standardisation
  • tax obligations
  • payment techniques

The Agency also supports regional initiatives aimed at proactively informing businesses, in particular through seminars and presentations.

Competences of the Belgian Foreign Trade Agency

Article 2 of Annex 1 to the Cooperation Agreement provides that, with regard to information and documentation regarding regulatory and legal requirements, the Agency is responsible for the following matters:

  • export (Belgian and European regulations)
  • system of sales and contractual obligations
  • product control: health standards and standardisation
  • tax obligations (customs and indirect taxes)
  • business practices
  • sales and distribution
  • export and import in Belgium
  • industrial property
  • establishment abroad
  • payment rules and trade disputes
Katrien Van Loocke
Legal Counsel
  • Incoterms

    CHOOSE THE RIGHT INCOTERM FOR YOUR TRANSACTION

    image choose the right incoterm for your transactionAn international delivery is not limited to commercial terms and conditions but also involves practical and technical agreements between the buyer, the seller and possible third parties, often in legal, cultural and commercial climates that are quite different. In order to define everyone’s (legal) liability, the Incoterms (International Commercial Terms) were developed. These international agreements regarding the international transport of goods allocate the risks and costs between the various parties involved based on 11 rules as set out in

  • Distribution channels

    HOW TO ORGANISE YOUR DISTRIBUTION ABROAD?

    image outilFind out which distribution channel fits your company, your products, the market you target and your business strategy.

    An exporter should always select the most suitable distribution channel to warrant a continuous, sustainable offer of its products and/or services. Choosing the right channel will allow the exporter to reduce the cost of his market entry and thus warrant a competitive offer. This application intends to help you identify the organizational structure that is probably most appropriate given your specific profile. It presents two

  • Meet the European Commission's toolbox

    On the European Commission's Market Access Database (Access2Markets) you can find detailed data on imports into many countries outside the EU. This website provides information not only on import duties but also on specific requirements (which documents do I need to present at customs clearance?) for imports into a whole range of countries outside the European Union. It is one of the most interesting starting points for the European exporter and/or importer.
  • European and Belgian contact points for tariff and non-tariff barriers

    Companies exporting goods or services to countries outside the EU may face various types of trade barriers such as high import duties, burdensome customs procedures, poor protection of intellectual property rights, technical standards and regulations, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, restrictions on access to raw materials, licensing ... An EU online database contains all barriers reported by EU companies and member states. Are you experiencing difficulties exporting your products or services outside the EU? Are these difficulties not yet listed in the EU database mentioned above?
  • Webinar 17.06.2022 & 22.06.2020

    INTERNATIONAL SALES CONTRACTS AND INCOTERMS® 2020

    image invitationWe were very pleased that on 17 and 22 June 22, 2020, you participated in such a large number in our webinar "INTERNATIONAL SALES CONTRACTS AND INCOTERMS® 2020 Strategic choices and possibilities in times of crisis (Covid-19, Brexit, Trade wars, ...)"

    We finally reached 100 subscribed participants for the two editions of our webinar. On 17 June 2020, the webinar was held in Dutch and on 22 June 2020, the webinar was held in French. The presentation of this webinar can be downloaded « here ».

    For further questions, please do not