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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Market Overview
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On August 21, 2025, the United States and the European Union (EU) announced a Framework on an Agreement on Reciprocal, Fair, and Balanced Trade (Framework Agreement). The Framework Agreement represents a concrete demonstration of the United States’ and EU’s commitment to fair, balanced, and mutually beneficial trade and investment. The Framework Agreement reflects acknowledgement by the EU of the concerns of the United States and our joint determination to resolve trade imbalances and unleash the full potential of our combined economic power.

The United States and the EU’s 27 Member States share the largest economic relationship in the world. With nearly 500 million consumers, the EU economy entered a sudden recession in the first half of 2020 and has been slow to recover since then. U.S. two-way trade in goods with the EU totaled $975 billion in 2024 according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The EU’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) increased by 0.7%, in 2024, according to the European Commission, and is forecast to grow by 1.1% in 2025 and 1.4% in 2026. Inflation remains relatively steady at 2.8% in January 2024, eased to 2.7% in December 2024 and is expected to ease to 2.2% in 2025 as energy costs decrease but price pressures persist.

Note: The 27 Member States of the European Union are Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden.

Political Environment

Visit the U.S. Department of State for further information on the EU’s political and economic environment.

Further information on a specific EU country can be found on the State Department website.

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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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