The work that we do in the area of international trade is always related to the import, export and/or transit of goods. In other words, it is always related to customs dossiers. Examples of this work include:
- Export and transit of “strategic goods” (dual-use goods and military goods);
- Compliance with sanctions measures;
- Quality and health requirements of products (product requirements, labelling requirements, biological product requirements, REACH, veterinary and phytosanitary regulations, etc.);
- Compliance with import and export bans;
- Compliance with Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) regulations;
- Anti-dumping duties.
Our services
At DHK we have very extensive knowledge and experience in the area of international trade. Our services in this area comprise:
- Identifying compliance aspects relating to the specific regulations for the products concerned;
- Making these compliance aspects manageable; and
- Assisting with the solution of any non-compliance dossiers.
Our approach
A number of customs-related topics of international trade are covered by (mostly directly effective) European legislation. We generally provide advice on the basis of this European legislation, if possible supplemented on the basis of Dutch legislation.
For certain topics in the area of international trade we have gained extensive specific experience. Examples include the levy and collection of anti-dumping duties. Given that the levy and collection of these are identical to the levy and collection of customs duties (and also for restrictive measures such as import and export bans), we perform the same work for anti-dumping duties as listed in the section Customs.
However, if highly detailed / specialist knowledge is needed for one of the specific topics listed above (e.g. quality or product requirements, IPR, REACH), then we usually restrict ourselves to “primary information” (identifying the problem, determining the scope of the problem), after which we (can) put the client in contact with a specialist in the specific discipline (e.g. trademark rights lawyers, quality experts and safety experts). We naturally consult with the client in deciding whether the contact with the specialist concerned will proceed directly to the client, or with our mediation. Conversely, in a number of cases we perform such work – as specialists in customs & international trade – on the instruction of or in close collaboration with law firms and accountancy firms for their clients.