Goods manufactured or assembled in Ireland in compliance, where required, with EU regulatory requirements will be thereby in free circulation within the European Union. They may move freely within the European Union without customs declarations, controls or requirements. They will not be subject to any further regulatory requirements in other EU countries other than in very rare and exceptional circumstances
Goods manufactured or assembled in Ireland will be almost automatically thereby of EU origin for the purpose of the EU network of free-trade agreements with third countries. This will mean that they qualify for favourable treatment available under those free-trade agreements. In the case of most EU trade agreements such as the recent agreements with Canada Japan and Korea, manufactured goods are almost invariably subject to the zero rate customs duty.
A manufacturer or assembler in Ireland may import goods from other EU states free of customs duty and without any customs and other regulatory requirements. It does not matter whether those goods of EU origin or not. Once they have been lawfully imported into the EU they are in free circulation.
A manufacturer or assembler in Ireland has the assurance that the EU Treaty rights as supplemented by EU legislation and the policing powers of the EU Ccommission can cut through both explicit and hidden barriers to trade that any other EU state governmental or trade body might seek to erect. These fundamental legal rights together with the determined action of the Commission has eliminated most such practices.
The assurance that those rights can continue to be asserted throughout the EU even against governments, gives significant confidence that a liberal and facilitative trade regime will continue, regardless of circumstances and change of government.
The manufacturer or assembler in Ireland with have access to the full EU labour market. It will also have access to the UK labour market under the common travel area arrangements. Both UK and EU workers and service providers may come, work and provide services in Ireland unconditionally and establish themselves and their family in Ireland for such purpose.
The qualifications of workers and service provides generally reognsied in other EU states. Where there are significant differences which justify non-recognition, specific minimal and tailored compensatory steps only, are required to meet the corresponding level in the host state.
Manufacturers and assemblers enjoy a coherent scheme of intellectual property protection throughout the European Union. A wider range of copyright and intellectual property rights are protected under EU law than apply under older international conventions. The EU has supported the European Patent Convention by providing the European Patent Court. The EU has provided for the Community Trademark which is a single unitary trademark enforceable throughout the European Union.
EU regulatory standards apply across a wide range of goods including medical devices machinery, much electric equipment vehicles and construction products. Goods may not be imported into the EU unless conformity is shown with the EU standards. An importer into the EU must take responsibility for product safely monitoring and enforcement.
The European Union has provided for common standards of product safety liability for defective products and market surveillance. The EU manufacturer can have the assurance that there is a single set of safety standards throughout the European Union, and that it will be subject to common standards of enforcement.
Standards are evolved in a rational way involving industry in maintaining the safety of consumers and users. Imports into the EU must meet the EU standards This prevents undercutting the EU market by products that do not meet the basic regulatory requirement.
The EU manufacturer or assembler relieves its distributors of responsibilities as importers into the EU. These responsibilities require them to carry risks in relation to product standards and product liability which are likely in many cases, to be beyond their capacity to bear.
The EU provides for a common set of competition and fair trading rules. It restricts severely the extent to which states may subsidise industries. The EU manufacturer or assembler has the assurance of common EU rules in the area of employment rights, environmental protection and waste. This provides a guarantee against unfair competition
EU manufacturers and assemblers enjoy the protection of EU trade policy against unfair competition from third countries. EU trade agreements provide for minimum standards in the areas of labour laws environmental protection competition and government procurement..