The EFC field notes

Country guides

Every field note on this topic, newest first.

All field notes

September 2026

  1. Business development 7 min read How Spanish retail and distribution buy How Spain's grocery, department-store and pharmacy channels buy, what the agency law says, and which trade fairs fall in 2027 and 2028.
  2. Country guides 7 min read Selling into Italy from stock in Portugal What a seller shipping from Portuguese stock to Italian customers settles first: packaging labels, CONAI and its contribution, Italian language, RAEE.
  3. Country guides 7 min read Selling into Spain from stock in Portugal What a seller shipping from Portuguese stock to Spanish customers settles first: packaging EPR, Spanish labels, RAEE and batteries.
  4. Country guides 9 min read Selling into France from stock in Portugal What a seller shipping from Portuguese stock to French customers settles first: EPR and the IDU, Triman and Info-tri, marketplace checks and French language.

August 2026

  1. Country guides 6 min read Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla: outside EU VAT The Canaries, Ceuta and Melilla sit outside the EU VAT area. Why a shipment there from Portugal is an export, and what IGIC, AIEM and IPSI mean.
  2. Logistics and fulfilment 6 min read Serving Spain and Portugal from one stock One EU stock can serve Spanish and Portuguese buyers together. The VAT rules for B2B and consumer sales, Spanish labels, parcels and returns.
  3. Country guides 9 min read Selling into Germany from stock in Portugal What a seller shipping from Portuguese stock to German customers settles first: LUCID and the 2026 packaging rules, stiftung ear, batteries and language.
  4. Customs and the border 6 min read The EU-Mercosur agreement: what changes for importers The EU-Mercosur interim trade agreement has applied provisionally since 1 May 2026. What it cuts, how origin is proved, and what stays line by line.

July 2026

  1. Country guides 7 min read Brazilian brands selling in Europe: what to settle first EU-Brazil trade, the DU-E export filing, cosmetics under CPNP, food via TRACES, supplement notification, and European versus Brazilian Portuguese.