German sellers are halting shipments of goods to other EU countries due to new packaging regulations, reports Bild.
Small German online shops and producers have started to refuse foreign sales due to the new European packaging norms. Shipments to France, Austria, Italy, and other EU countries are at risk: buyers of books, beverages, handmade goods, and honey may not receive their orders.
The new regulations aim to reduce packaging waste in Europe. However, companies sending packaged goods to other EU countries must now register the packaging in each destination country and comply with local requirements. For small businesses, this means additional costs, paperwork, and the need to hire representatives in other countries.
“For small companies, this law works the opposite way. We have already had to remove relevant products from the store. By recalculation, that’s several thousand euros that we are losing,” said entrepreneur Christian Eggers, owner of a family honey manufacturing business in Lower Saxony.
The European Commission acknowledges that current requirements may be overly strict and is already discussing changes. An EU representative stated that a unified registration for the entire European Union may emerge in the future.
