EU Single Market

The single market lets goods move between EU countries without customs declarations, which is why a brand can serve much of Europe from one or two warehouses. Before 1993, trucks crossing internal borders still faced paperwork and checks even though internal duties had ended in 1968, and afterward VAT on cross-border trade was handled through tax authorities rather than at the border. Passport-free travel for people came separately under the Schengen rules. For e-commerce sellers, the single market supports pan-European fulfillment from hubs in countries such as the Netherlands, Germany or Poland, while VAT registration and the One Stop Shop rules introduced in 2021 decide where tax is due.

• Distributed InventoryStock split across several warehouses
• Multi-Channel FulfillmentMCFOne inventory pool for every sales channel
• Distribution CenterDCWarehouse that ships cases and pallets

• EEC Customs Union1968 · Six EEC states drop internal duties and share a tariff
• Zollverein1834 · German states drop tariffs among themselves
• Port of Rotterdam as World's Busiest Port1962–2004 · Rotterdam leads the world in cargo for four decades

• Treaty of Rome1957, in force 1958 · 1957 treaty founding the EEC and its customs union
• Schengen Agreement1985, applied 1995 · European pact abolishing internal border checks
• EU General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR)2023, applies from 2024 · Safety, labeling, and EU contact rules for products

1. History of the European Union, 1990 to 1999 (European Union) european-union.europa.eu
2. The single market (CVCE, University of Luxembourg) cvce.eu