Top 3 tools for export managers to know how international markets evolve

Access2Markets

Access2Markets is a platform promoted by the European Commission to obtain all the information needed to trade with third countries. Until relatively recently, this platform was known as the Market Access Database and only had information on the procedures and tariffs required in more than 60 countries.  Today, you can obtain the following information on all the countries of the European Union and 120 more:

• Tariffs and taxes
• Procedures, formalities and requirements
• Rules of origin and export measures
• Statistics
• Trade barriers
  

This tool is extremely useful for those companies that have just started the internationalization process and have little experience in the field, as well as for those professionals who have been involved in importing and exporting for a long time. Access2Markets has two guides with the steps you must follow to export goods and services. Within the platform, there are several tools depending on what you are looking for.

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My Trade Assistant

To search for tariffs, customs procedures and formalities, product requirements or statistics.‍

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ROSA

It is Access2Markets' rules of origin self-assessment tool, and provides a step-by-step guide on how to determine your product's rules of origin. With the new ROSA update implemented in January 2022 you can check if you are entitled to a tariff reduction under EU trade agreements.

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UN comtrade

This platform promoted by the United Nations started in 2014 and has improved many of its aspects in the 8 years that it has been in operation. It is the largest source of international trade data and obtains this data directly from the authorities of each country in charge of registering imports and exports.

With UN comtrade you can check the exports and imports of a given product between two countries in value, and supplementary quantities, from 1962 to the most recent year. For example, you can search for German exports of cars to the United States in 2004 by value (in US dollars), weight and supplementary quantity (number of cars).

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Global trade alert

This tool, launched by the University of St. Gallen in 2009, was conceived as a platform for monitoring changes in international trade policies. Although it currently serves the same purpose, the interface makes it possible to see which products or in which regions liberalizing, or protectionist measures are being taken.

Global trade alerts allow you to filter by year, trade flow and sector or product. Once you have selected one of these filters, GTA displays a series of graphs, with the total number of policies adopted by countries, both positive and negative. Finally, if you scroll to the bottom of the page, you get the information on the measure taken and the official source of the country that published it.