Market research · Cresques
Marta writes the country playbooks: how a market buys, who decides on new suppliers and what a first meeting looks like. She works from public sources — procurement notices, trade-association guidance and regulator pages — and says so when something cannot be confirmed.
Entering a market through distributorsA distributor buys your goods and resells them in its own name and at its own risk; an agent negotiates sales on your behalf for a commission.
Country playbooksCroatian distributors win nearly all public supply awards; buyers want Croatian bids and e-invoices; company e-mail is lawful with identity and opt-out.
Country playbooksCypriot companies win most public supply contracts, led by Ministry of Health buying; one eProcurement portal, and marketing e-mail needs consent.
Country playbooksEstonian buyers publish every procedure in one state register; local distributors win most awards, Baltic and Finnish firms the rest; e-mail needs an opt-out.
Country playbooksIceland buys through local importers; Landspítali and state central purchasing lead on TED; goods cross a customs border; e-mail to a general address is lawful.
Country playbooksLatvian distributors win most public supply contracts; buyers want Latvian documents and e-invoices; e-mail to a company address is lawful with an opt-out.
Country playbooksLithuanian distributors win most public supply contracts; buyers publish in CVP IS, invoice by Peppol e-invoice and want product information in Lithuanian.
Country playbooksAlmost a third of Luxembourg's TED supply awards go to foreign firms, mostly Belgian. How the market buys, what buyers expect and how to make first contact.
Country playbooksMaltese firms win 93% of public supply awards, led by health; tenders run on ePPS in English; marketing e-mail needs prior written consent.
Country playbooksNorwegian distributors win most public supply contracts. How EEA rules, Doffin, customs, EHF invoicing and the post@ e-mail rule shape a manufacturer's entry.
For US manufacturersTen routes compared on data source, coverage and published price: Commercial Service, STEP, directories, databases, EEN, trade fairs and Cresques.
Tools and comparisonsTwelve tools for finding EU distributors compared on one table: directories win on breadth, sales databases on contacts, Cresques on evidence of sales.
Country playbooksSlovak distributors win tenders in ÚVO's Vestník and on TED; buyers want Slovak documents and RPVS entries; two laws disagree on cold e-mail to companies.
Country playbooksAustria buys through specialist distributors and the BBG; buyers expect German documents, a full Impressum, e-invoices for federal work and no cold e-mail.
Country playbooksBelgian trade runs in Dutch, French and German; B2B invoices go over Peppol since 2026; awards are on e-Procurement and TED; e-mail only to generic addresses.
Country playbooksBulgarian distributors win tenders on CAIS EOP and TED; bids are in Bulgarian, companies are checked by EIK, and e-mail needs a KZP register check first.
Country playbooksCzech distributors win tenders published in the Věstník and on TED; buyers want Czech documents and 30-day terms; no cold e-mail, even to companies.
Country playbooksDenmark buys through distributors, joint regional tenders and SKI agreements; buyers expect Danish labels and e-invoices; marketing e-mail needs consent.
Country playbooksFinland buys through national distributors, Hansel and 21 wellbeing services counties; notices go through Hilma; e-mail to a firm is lawful with an opt-out.
Country playbooksGreek buyers record purchases on KIMDIS and tender on ESIDIS; EKAPY runs health frameworks; e-invoicing is mandatory; first contact by letter, not e-mail.
Country playbooksHungarian distributors win tenders run in EKR and KEF frameworks; buyers want Hungarian documents and 30-day terms; a company address may be e-mailed with care.
Country playbooksIrish trade runs through distributors and merchant buying groups; public bodies buy through OGP and HSE arrangements and publish awards on eTenders and TED.
Country playbooksPortugal publishes every public contract on Portal BASE; SPMS runs health framework agreements; work in Portuguese; e-mail companies only after the DGC check.
Country playbooksRomanian distributors win tenders on SEAP and TED, often under framework agreements; invoices run through RO e-Factura; no cold e-mail, even to companies.
Country playbooksSlovenia buys through local distributors and one procurement portal; buyers expect Slovenian documents, a checkable company, e-invoices and a fair e-mail.
Country playbooksItaly sells through specialist wholesalers, buying groups and agents; public demand runs via Consip, MePA and regional hubs; awards are on ANAC and TED.
Country playbooksPolish distributors win tenders published on e-Zamówienia and TED; bids are in Polish; payment terms are capped by law; no cold e-mail without consent.
Country playbooksSpain sells through specialist distributors and purchasing centres; awards are on the Plataforma de Contratación and TED; work in Spanish; no cold e-mail.
Country playbooksSweden buys through wholesalers and framework agreements; notices sit in registered databases and on TED; e-mail to a company is lawful with an opt-out.
Country playbooksDutch trade runs through specialist wholesalers and purchasing cooperatives; tenders and awards are on TenderNed and TED; quality scores; no cold e-mail.
Country playbooksUK trade runs through merchants, dealers and buying societies; public buyers call off frameworks and publish awards on Find a Tender, not TED.
Tools and comparisonsKompass sells a global B2B database with named contacts; Cresques shows who sold your category to public buyers. Criteria, sources and when Kompass fits better.
Tools and comparisonsWhat the EEN database, national export agencies, chambers abroad and the leading trade fairs offer a manufacturer — strengths, limits, timing and sequence.
Tools and comparisonsWhat Europages, wlw, Kompass and DirectIndustry hold, how listings are made, what a profile proves and what it cannot — with a check-list for using them well.
Tools and comparisonsSeven ways to find EU distributors — fairs, agencies, EEN, directories, prospecting tools, AI, procurement evidence — ranked on evidence, speed and cost.
Entering a market through distributorsCE marking where EU law requires it, GTINs and EDI for distributor systems, chain of custody for wood, and national marks such as NF or GREENGUARD.
Entering a market through distributorsQuote on a named Incoterms 2020 rule, offer payment terms within the EU's 60-day frame, and agree a sample policy before the first order.
Entering a market through distributorsSince 13 December 2024 a consumer product may be placed on the EU market only if an economic operator in the Union is responsible for it. Who can be that operator.
Entering a market through distributorsDistributors reply to suppliers who arrive ready to list: local-language data, margin-ready prices, Incoterms, payment terms, certificates, EAN/EDI and samples.
Country playbooksFrance buys through wholesalers and buying groups; public demand shows on BOAMP, PLACE and TED; documents must be in French; payment is capped at 60 days.
Country playbooksGerman trade runs through specialist wholesalers and buying groups; buyers expect CE/GS, German documents, an Impressum and e-invoicing; no cold e-mail.
For US manufacturersBefore the first meeting: CE marking (a UL listing is not enough), an EU responsible operator, GDPR-ready outreach, email rules, e-invoicing and local data.
For US manufacturersStart with a distributor, not a subsidiary: find who already sells your category from award notices, learn how the door opens, and make first contact lawfully.
Entering a market through distributorsB2B supply distribution runs through independent dealers, buying groups and multi-branch head offices; each decides on new suppliers differently.
BlogMedtech €173bn, medicines €302bn; public buyers are 50–70% of EU device sales, per industry data. TED shows who wins the contracts.
Blog98.4% of European public awards for surgical instruments went to locally registered firms. Who wins, and what a distributor needs from a non-EU maker.
Blog95.2% of German public supply awards on TED went to German-registered firms. How to read the notices, find a distributor and make lawful first contact.
BlogHow Polish public buyers purchase supplies, why almost every winner is a Polish-registered company, and how a German manufacturer finds and approaches one.
BlogOur 34 country pages share six steps, from finding who already wins to a lawful first contact. What stays the same everywhere, and what changes at each border.
BlogIn lab, IT, cleaning, playground, electrical and fire safety supply, award notices usually name a dealer or installer. Who wins, which CPV, what they ask.
BlogThrough the SBA's STEP grants, your state trade office can pay back part of a European trade show or sales trip, often 50–90%. Nine states compared.
BlogNo single answer: France suits public-sector categories, the Netherlands logistics, Germany size via trade fairs, Poland growth. A sourced comparison.
BlogRegulation (EU) 2026/1455 removes EU duty on US-origin industrial goods until 2029. CE marking, VAT, origin proof and finding a distributor still apply.
BlogThe EU has 452 million people, one customs border and, since July 1, 2026, zero EU duty on listed US industrial goods. The case for now, and the hard parts.
BlogThe Catalan Atlas of 1375 told merchants where the routes ran and who held the gold. That is the job we set ourselves — and here is how to say the name.
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