Glossary

See bank details (RIB)

As with exports, certain products do not require any particular document when they are imported. However, when products are imported which, because of their quantity, origin or import conditions, could endanger Community producers, a safeguard measure is put in place. These products then fall under the cost of this measure and their import will have to be validated by the import licence which will accompany the surveillance document".

Importation is the process of bringing goods originating in third countries into the European Union. These goods cannot be disposed of until they have been cleared through customs.

The allocation of costs and risks relating to the transport of goods is a potential source of conflict. To avoid any ambiguity about the terms of the agreement, the sales contract must refer to a codified language: Incoterms (International Commercial Terms) or CIV (Conditions Internationales de Vente). Incoterms were defined by the International Chamber of Commerce. They were last revised in 2010. They provide a uniform definition of the points at which costs and risks are transferred. There are 11 Incoterms (instead of 13 in the previous version), divided into 2 categories depending on the mode of transport used. 7 Incoterms for transport by air, rail, road, a combination of these modes of transport, container or semi-trailer, including maritime transport, known as multimodal or multipurpose transport. EXW, FCA, CPT, CIP are outward sales made in the seller''s country, DAT, DAT, DDU are inward sales made in the buyer''s country: EXW: ex works, (ENU: en l''usine): the buyer chooses the mode of transport and the carrier; the seller has fulfilled his obligation to deliver when the goods are made available at his premises, factory, warehouse, etc. Variant : EXW loaded: the seller loads the goods under his own responsibility onto the buyer''s vehicle; FCA is preferred. FCA: free carrier: the seller has fulfilled his delivery obligation when he has handed over the goods, cleared for export, to the carrier designated by the buyer, at the agreed place and point. * Note: If no precise point is mentioned by the buyer, the seller may choose from the place or zone stipulated the place where the carrier will take charge of the goods. Where commercial practice requires the seller''s assistance in concluding the contract with the carrier (as in the case of carriage by rail or air), the seller will act at the buyer''s risk and expense. CPT: carriage paid to (POP: port payé): the seller pays the freight for the carriage of the goods to the agreed destination. * Note: The risk of loss or damage to the goods, as well as the risk of additional costs arising from events occurring after the goods have been delivered to the carrier, are transferred from the seller to the buyer when the goods are handed over to the carrier. CIP: carriage insurance paid to: the seller pays the freight for the carriage of the goods to the agreed destination and provides cargo insurance (i.e. on the goods carried) against the buyer''s risk of loss or damage to the goods during carriage. DAT: delivered at terminal: the seller has duly delivered when the goods, once unloaded from the approaching means of transport, are made available to the buyer at the designated terminal in the port or at the agreed place of destination. The term Terminal" includes any place

This information is collected at the pre-market study stage.

A form of creation that may be protected by one or more types of property rights: copyright, patent, industrial design, trademark, appellation of origin, etc.

Inter-company credit corresponds to the total amount of credit granted to customers and that obtained from suppliers. Its balance is a valuable indicator of a company's cash position. Inter-company credit represents more than twice the total amount of short-term bank loans granted to companies. The term inter-company credit" is often used to highlight the disparities between different business sectors (lending and borrowing sectors).

See NRE

A method of employing a person for a fixed period of time. Some agencies specialise in particular fields, such as international trade.

This is a mark of quality, guaranteeing that products or services comply with international standards

All the information (address, managers, etc.) relating to international prospects, presented on a medium in a certain order of classification.

International means of payment include instruments and techniques

Worldwide computer network presented as a web" of terminals. It enables information to be disseminated via a single interface to all users regardless of their geographical location.

Inventory financing enables exporters to build up stocks of goods, as maintaining them may be too onerous for the exporting company. Only goods stored (and not sold) abroad are eligible for finance (usually for a renewable period of 1 year) and certain conditions must be met (proof of customs clearance, saleable stock, amount of stock in relation to sales volume). Banks also offer other formulas. Banks also offer other formulas.

Invoices are required for all commercial transactions and must include a number of compulsory items of information. Invoices must state the payment date (due date) and the discount terms applicable if payment is made before the end of the negotiated period

The action of issuing the invoice, sending it and recording it in the accounts.

Debts for which there is a certainty of non-payment. Debts are irrecoverable as soon as a certificate of irrecoverability has been drawn up or the collective proceedings have been closed due to insufficient assets, which allows VAT to be recovered.

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies from some 140 countries, one from each country. ISO is a non-governmental organization founded in 1947. Its mission is to promote the development of standardization and related activities throughout the world, in order to facilitate the exchange of goods and services between nations and to develop cooperation in the intellectual, scientific, technical and economic fields. ISO's work results in international agreements which are published in the form of International Standards.

This is an international standard which, by prescribing the requirements for an environmental management system, enables an organisation to formulate a policy and objectives taking into account legislative requirements and information relating to significant environmental impacts. It applies to those environmental aspects which the organisation can control and over which it can be expected to have an influence. It applies to those environmental aspects which the organisation can control and over which it can be expected to have an influence.

The standards in the ISO 9000 family are the result of an international consensus on good management practice. Their aim is to ensure that an organisation can consistently provide products or services that meet customer quality requirements. These good practices have been distilled into a set of standardised requirements for a quality management system, irrespective of what your organisation does, how large it is or whether it is in the private or public sector. There are three ISO 9000 standards: ISO 9001, ISO 9002 or ISO 9003, the three quality assurance models against which organisations can be certified. You may have wondered how these standards differ. The difference is simply in the scope: 1) ISO 9001 sets out the requirements for an organisation whose activities range from design and development to production, installation and associated services, 2) ISO 9002 is the appropriate standard for an organisation not involved in design and development; it does not contain the requirements relating to design control of ISO 9001, the other requirements being identical, 3) ISO 9003 is the nome which corresponds to the needs of an organization whose business processes do not relate to design control, process control, purchasing or associated services, and which basically uses inspection and testing to ensure that the final products and services meet the specified requirements. It is therefore up to the organisation to choose ISO 9001, ISO 9002 or ISO 9003 to have its quality system certified, depending on the business processes covered by its quality system. There is no hierarchical difference between the three standards.

ISO standards are International Standards which specify requirements for a management system which enables an organisation to formulate a policy and objectives taking into account legislative requirements and information external to its activity.