Eu Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in eu, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
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Business Customs

For information on business customs, please consult the relevant Member States’ Country Commercial Guide.

Travel Advisory

AnchorAnchorFor information on any travel advisories, please consult the  Department of State’s Travel Website.

Visa Requirements

Companies that require travel of foreign businesspersons to the United States should be advised that security evaluations are handled via an interagency process.  Visa applicants should go to the Department of State’s Visa Website.

For information on visa requirements, please consult the relevant Member States’ Country Commercial Guide.

Currency

The euro was adopted as the currency of the European Union on January 1, 2002, and it is used by the institutions of the European Union and the nineteen Member States belonging to the eurozone: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain.  Croatia adopted the euro on January 1, 2023.

The official languages of the European Union are Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, Gaelic, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovene, Spanish, and Swedish.

Local Time, Business Hours, and Holidays

The European Union generally follows the holidays of the Member State in which its institutions are located.  During August, most European Union organizations are staffed with minimum personnel.  For information on local holidays in EU Member States, please consult the relevant Member States’ Country Commercial Guide.  As some EU institutions are located in Brussels, the following is a list of official holidays observed in Belgium in 2023 and 2024.

Table: Year/Holiday in 2024
2024Holiday
January 1New Year’s Day
March 29Good Friday
April 1Easter Monday
May 1Belgian Labor Day
May 9Europe Day
May 9Ascension Day
May 20Whit Monday
July 21National Day
August 15Assumption Day
November 1All Saints Day
November 11Veterans Day
December 25Christmas Day
December 26Boxing Day

The U.S. Mission to the European Union is closed on most U.S. and Belgian holidays.  For individual Member States’ local time and business hours, please consult the relevant Member States’ Country Commercial Guide.

Other Issues

For more information on the temporary entry of materials or personal belongings, telecommunications and electric issues, transportation, and health, please consult the relevant Member States’ Country Commercial Guide.

Appointments with the Commercial Service

Business travelers to the European Union seeking appointments with officials in the U.S. Mission to the European Union should contact the U.S. Commercial Service at the U.S. Mission to the European Union in advance of their travel.

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Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta

Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA). This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need. The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages.

Limitations

As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests. The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade.gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research. Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade.gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

Privacy

The Chatbot does not collect information about users and does not use the contents of users’ chat history to learn new information. All feedback is anonymous. Please do not enter personally identifiable information (PII), sensitive, or proprietary information into the Chatbot. Your conversations will not be connected to other interactions or accounts with ITA. Conversations with the Chatbot may be reviewed to help ITA improve the tool and address harmful, illegal, or otherwise inappropriate questions.

Translation

The Chatbot supports a wide range of languages. Because the Chatbot is trained in English and responses are translated, you should verify the translation. For example, the Chatbot may have difficulty with acronyms, abbreviations, and nuances in a language other than English.

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