US exporters of wood based panels to Europe see both opportunities and difficulties in the EU‘s CE marking requirements which come into force next April, according to industry newsletter Random Lengths International.
The cost of complying with CE marking, which represents proof of conformity with EU standards, is estimated at US$15,000 per mill in the first year and US$4,000 thereafter.
But US exporters believe competing panel companies in South America will not be ready for compliance come April, giving them a potential window of opportunity for increasing sales to Europe. The strong Euro against the US dollar has also made North American exports more competitive.
