Hello! Bonjour! New Routes Bring New Rules As We Look to European Markets
How Local SMEs Can Turn Compliance into A Competitive Edge in EU Markets
As US trade policy lurches from one surprise to the next, Canadian exporters are increasingly eyeing markets that reward predictability over the political theatre to our south, and where long-term opportunity outweighs short-term chaos.
The good news? ‘Nice guy’ Canada has 15 trade agreements in force with 51 countries – and more are on the way. Collectively, these agreements give Canadian businesses preferential access to markets representing 1.5 billion consumers.1
For those of us on the Atlantic Coast, most eyes turn to the EU, or in some cases, to Asia, for its appetite for seafood, pulp and paper, and minerals. Of course, trade agreements don’t mean a business can simply pack up its product and ship it direct to market.
The benefits of trade agreements aren’t automatic. They come with fine print: rules, regulations, and certifications that determine whether your product gets through the door.
If you’re an SME (small to medium-sized enterprise) in New Brunswick, trying to figure how to pivot can look intimidating. Understanding regulatory requirements and trade conditions, tables and tariff lines: everything looks complicated. So, for the sake of simplicity, let’s look at selling an iconic NB agricultural product – the humble wild blueberry – to the EU market.
Prior sales indicate a welcome market
If you’re a wild blueberry farmer in New Brunswick, increased market diversification may have already proven beneficial. In the past decade, US imports accounted for an average of just 41 percent of Canada’s frozen wild blueberry exports. The implementation of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) in 2017, which eliminated a 12 percent tariff on Canadian frozen blueberry exports to the EU, prompted an initial uptick in shipments to EU markets.2
Statistics Canada reported Canada exported more than $155 million in low-bush wild blueberries to Japan, Germany, France, Netherlands, and others (excluding the USA) in 2023. In the same report, it noted that New Brunswick accounts for 44 percent of the low-bush blueberry crop in the Atlantic provinces.3 For producers in New Brunswick, recent sales data suggests that Europe is more than a talking point, it’s a real opportunity.
For New Brunswick exporters, however, tapping into this market takes more than a good harvest. So what does it take to sell wild blueberries in Europe? Where do you begin?
Rules of origin and paperwork
To access reduced tariffs under CETA, your product must “originate” in Canada. That means proving where every component comes from (including packaging), meeting Product-Specific Rules (PSRs), and registering with the EU’s REX system, a self-certification tool for exporters. For a processor in New Brunswick, this means documenting everything from field to facility and being ready to show the paperwork. Logistics matter too: keeping the cold chain intact and meeting shelf-life requirements are just as important as origin certificates.
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Food safety and organics
EU consumers take food safety seriously. That’s why the bloc enforces strict pesticide residue limits, organic production standards, and real-time enforcement via the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF). Even trace amounts of unauthorised substances can block entry, so exporters need to be as diligent about what’s not in their products as what is.
Canada’s edge
More good news: Canada and the EU recognize each other’s organic certification systems. That means no recertification is needed for Canadian organic goods but documentation is still required. Products claiming organic status must have a Certificate of Inspection (COI) and be registered in TRACES, the EU’s tracking system for food imports. These requirements apply to all organic goods entering the EU, CETA or not.
Where green is good
The EU’s environmental push is reshaping trade itself. Products with poor sustainability credentials may face Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanisms (CBAM), which integrate carbon pricing into supply chain management by applying levies to high-emission imports, for example.
Packaging is also firmly in the spotlight. Under the Ecolabel and Eco-design frameworks, products must increasingly demonstrate reduced material use, improved recyclability, and lower environmental impact by design. Meanwhile, the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) sets binding targets for minimum recycled content, recyclability by design, and limits on packaging weight and volume. These are not optional guidelines; they are obligations.
There is upside: Packaging that meets these criteria clears regulatory hurdles and can also enhance market appeal. In a region where environmental credentials are increasingly valued, smart, compliant design can support both market access and long-term sustainability. Done right, it’s a step toward a circular economy: where waste is minimized, and value stays in the system.
The bottom line
For Canadian exporters, especially in New Brunswick, where natural assets are abundant but scale can be a challenge, Europe offers premium pricing – if we can meet the premium standards. CETA helps open the door, but it’s the small print that decides whether our blueberries, or shrimp stock, or software, make it to shelf. The EU rewards quality, transparency, and sustainability and enforces that standard rigorously. It’s the price of entry.
While the US is large, familiar and close, its lower price premiums mean Canadian exporters face intense competition from domestic US suppliers.
The EU may never match the US in volume, but it offers significant value, especially for organic, traceable, and sustainably packaged goods. With the right investment in certification and design, New Brunswick exporters can turn regulatory obligations into market leverage.
In this context, compliance is not just red tape; it is strategy. For exporters ready to adapt, it’s the path to growth.
A Little Help for our Friends:
What should a Canadian Exporter Do to get started on the road to the EU marketplace?
1. Identify your product’s HS code and check Product-Specific Rules (PSRs)
Use the Canada Tariff Finder
CETA PSRs (Annex 5)
2. Register for the REX system to self-certify origin
3. Understand EU product standards and labelling requirements:
4. Review packaging, eco-design, and sustainability obligations:
5. Work with an approved certification body (if applicable):
6. Plan logistics, customs handling, and post-entry compliance:
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Supportive Bodies for Canadian Exporters:
"Canada's Free Trade Agreements," PF Collins International Trade Solutions, accessed April 9, 2025, https://pfcollins.com/canadas-free-trade-agreements/.
"Blueberry Annual Voluntary," USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, February 22, 2023, https://agfstorage.blob.core.windows.net/misc/FP_com/2023/02/28/Aavol.pdf.
Statistical Overview of the Canadian Fruit Industry 2023, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, June 30, 2024, https://agriculture.canada.ca/en/statistical-overview-canadian-fruit-industry-2023.