Denmark has historically maintained a free trade stance to international trade policy.  Denmark is a member of the European Union and has a strong record among EU countries regarding implementation of Single Market directives.  The EU’s common external duty tariffs apply to all products entering from non-EU countries, including the United States.  Duties on imported goods typically vary from 5 percent to 14 percent on industrial goods depending on the economic sensitivity and description of the good.  Once goods have cleared customs in one EU country, they may circulate freely within the Union.  A Value-Added-Tax (VAT) of 25 percent is applied on a non-discriminatory basis to all goods (and almost all services) sold in Denmark, whether imported or locally produced.  Denmark applies no unilateral trade barriers against the United States.

In the EU, agricultural products imported from non-EU countries are governed by the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).  Duties on these items ‑‑ which include cereal grains, rice, milk products, beef and veal, oil, seeds, and sugar ‑‑ are supplemented with a system of variable levies or other charges.  The purpose of these charges is to equalize prices of imported commodities with those produced within the EU.   

When products enter the EU, they need to be declared to customs according to their classification in the Combined Nomenclature (CN).  The CN document is updated and published every year, and the latest version can be found on the European Commission’s website.

U.S. exports to the European Union enjoy an average tariff of 3 percent.  U.S. exporters should consult “The Integrated Tariff of the Community,” referred to as TARIC (Tarif Intégré de la Communauté), to identify the various rules that apply to specific products being imported into the customs territory of the EU.  To determine if a license is required for a particular product, check the TARIC.

The TARIC can be searched by country of origin, Harmonized System (HS) Code, and product description on the interactive website of the Directorate-General for Taxation and the Customs Union.  The online TARIC is updated daily.

Key Link: TARIC