Europe
International trade is a crucial aspect of Europe’s economy. Europe is the world's largest exporter of manufactured goods and services, and it is the biggest export market for around 80 countries and territories, with a trade volume of over 8 trillion USD in goods and services in 2021. This accounts for more than 35.7% of global trade. Europe is home to many strong economies which are major exporters of goods such as machinery, electronics, and chemicals, and attract significant foreign investment. Europe is also home to the European Union (EU), which brings together 27 European economies. Together, EU member states account for 16% of world imports and exports. In 2021, EU exports reached $6.6 trillion USD for goods and $2.4 trillion USD for services, while imports stood at $6.5 trillion USD for goods and $2.2 trillion USD for services. In volume, EU's trade in goods and services represents more than 11% and 20% of world trade respectively. Additionally, the European Union has established 45 different Regional Trade Agreements, including with Central America, Pacific States, and Eastern and Southern African States. Overall, Europe’s commitment to international trade has led to increased economic growth, job creation, and improved standards of living for its citizens.
View ResourceDigital and Sustainable Trade Facilitation: Global Report 2025
This report presents the results of the sixth United Nations (UN) Global Survey on Digital and Sustainable Trade Facilitation with targeted SME questions.
View ResourceIntellectual Property Helpdesk
The IP Helpdesk supports EU/SMP SMEs and researchers participating in EU-funded projects both to protect and enforce their Intellectual Property (IP) rights.
View ResourceEuropean Intellectual Property Office
Search IP databases, apply for IP, and learn about IP (including in the SME corner).
View ResourceAnnual report on European SMEs
The annual report, prepared on a yearly basis, provides a synopsis of the size, structure and importance of SMEs to the European economy and an overview of the past and forecasted performance of SMEs from 2008 to 2024.
View ResourceUK services trade by business characteristics: 2016 to 2018
Breakdown of UK trade in services by business characteristics (size and ownership), industry and region, on a balance of payments basis using a new experimental dataset.
View ResourceUK trade in goods by business characteristics
UK trade in goods by business characteristics data details international trade in goods by industry, age and size of business.
View ResourceEuropean Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Support for small businesses
This is a webpage of European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to support SMEs.
View ResourceEuropean Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)
This is a home page of European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
View ResourceA basic guide to Rules of Origin with focus on the EU system
This is a basic guide to Rules of Origin with focus on the EU system by Trade Law Centre NPC (tralac), a non-profit organization, registered in South Africa.
View ResourceRecommendation on the use of Legal Entity Identifier (LEI)
This Recommendation on the use of the Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) requires all entities for which information is required under EU reporting obligations to obtain a pre-Legal Entity Identifier (pre-LEI) code for reporting purposes.
View ResourceNCSC Certified Training
The NCSC Certified Training scheme provides a benchmark for cyber security training by assuring the quality of both content and its delivery.
View ResourceUK NCSC’s Active Cyber Defence Blog
New academic paper shows how UK citizens are safer in cyberspace thanks to the ACD programme.