Trade Barriers to the European Union As Perceived by U. S. Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises

The European Union (EU) is a political and economic partnership, built through a series of binding treaties, that represents a unique form of co-operation among sovereign countries. The EU is composed of 28 member states, including most of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, and has helped to promote peace, stability, and economic prosperity throughout the European continent. The United States and the EU have a dynamic political partnership and share a huge trade and investment relationship. This book catalogues trade-related barriers that U.S. small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) perceive as disproportionately affecting their exports to the European Union (EU) relative to large exporters to the EU. This book also serves as a primer on the EU and provides a brief description of U.S.-EU relations that may be of interest to Congress.