Core Challenges for Zhangjiagang Enterprises Exporting to the EU

In the first half of 2026,the export volume of Zhangjiagang to the EU increased by 12.3% year-on-year,among which textile and apparel,intelligent equipment,and new chemical materials account for more than 60% of the total.However,the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) has fully covered six categories of products: steel,aluminum,cement,fertilizers,electricity,and hydrogen.Meanwhile,the new General Product Safety Directive (GPSD) has been officially implemented,requiring all products entering the EU market to provide a "Product Safety Compliance File" — which has brought new challenges to many Zhangjiagang-based foreign trade enterprises in exports.

1.Compliance Pressure of Carbon Footprint Data Declaration

EU CBAM requires that starting from 2026,all enterprises importing the above six categories of products must submit a complete carbon footprint report 30 days before goods enter the EU,and the data must be certified by a third-party organization recognized by the EU.Manager Duan from a chemical enterprise in Zhangjiagang once feedback that when he tried to declare independently last year,the declaration was rejected because the carbon footprint calculation method did not meet EU standards,and the goods were detained at the port for 7 days,which not only incurred extra storage fees but also delayed customer delivery.

2.Increased Complexity of Document Review

After the implementation of GPSD,EU customs has added new fields such as "Compliance File Number" and "Product Safety Statement" to export document review,and requires that document information must match actual product parameters 100%.If there is information deviation,enterprises will be required to supplement materials in minor cases,and face goods seizure risk in severe cases.According to statistics from Zhangjiagang Customs,the rejection rate of EU export declarations due to inconsistent document information increased by 8.2% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026.

3.Time Cost of Export Tax Refund Process

Some Zhangjiagang enterprises reported that due to delayed data connection between documents and EU customs data,the export tax refund cycle has been extended from the original 12 days to 18 days,increasing capital turnover pressure.The financial director of a textile enterprise stated that delayed tax refund hindered part of the company’s raw material procurement plans,and led to the loss of 2 European orders.

Core Values of Zhongshen’s Export Agency Service

In response to the above challenges,relying on 20 years of foreign trade agency experience and focusing on policy details of the EU market,Zhongshen provides customized agency services for enterprises in Zhangjiagang.Manager Wu said,"We do not simply handle document procedures on behalf of clients,but intervene in advance in clients’ product production links,help them sort out carbon footprint data required for CBAM declaration,and avoid rework in the later stage.For example,for a steel enterprise in Zhangjiagang,we assisted it in connecting with EU-recognized carbon footprint certification institutions 3 months in advance,ensuring smooth declaration after the implementation of the new CBAM regulation in 2026."

Service Module Breakdown and Response to EU-specific Policies

1.Document Service: Full-process Review Adapted to New EU Regulations

The EU’s requirements for export documents are stricter than those in China,and two key requirements were added in 2026:

• ItmustincludetheGPSDcompliancefilenumber,whichneedstoberegisteredinadvanceontheEUSafetyProductsPortal(SPIP)
• CBAMdeclarationrequiressimultaneoussubmissionof"CarbonFootprintCalculationReport"and"Third-partyCertificationCertificate"

Zhongshen’s response solutions:

• Launchdocumentpre-audit10daysinadvance,connectwithEUSPIPtoassistwithcompliancefilenumberregistration,completeregistrationinanaverageof3days(industryaverageis7days)
• Establishedcooperationwith3EU-recognizedcarbonfootprintcertificationinstitutionsinChina,providecustomerswithone-stop"certification+declaration"service,andshortenthecertificationcycleby40%

Manager Wu gave an example that last year an intelligent equipment enterprise in Zhangjiagang exported robots to Germany,and the GPSD compliance file was not registered in advance.It would take 15 days if handled independently,but Zhongshen completed the registration in only 3 days,ensuring goods were shipped on time and avoiding client penalty.

2.Customs Clearance Service: Express Channel for EU Green Barriers

In 2026,EU border inspection added a new "carbon compliance check" link.If the carbon footprint report does not meet requirements,goods will be moved to a designated warehouse for inspection,incurring extra storage fees (about 120 euros per cubic meter per day).Zhongshen’s response:

• Launchedthe"pre-clearancechannel",submitCBAMdeclarationdatabeforegoodsdepartfromtheport,obtainpre-auditopinionsfromEUcustomsinadvance,andavoidinspectionaftergoodsarriveattheport
• SetuplocalcoordinationpointsinRotterdamPort(Netherlands)andHamburgPort(Germany),respondtocustomsinspectionrequirements24hoursaday,andcompleteon-sitecoordinationwithinanaverageof2hours

Last year,a steel enterprise in Zhangjiagang exported steel to France.Thanks to accurate CBAM declaration data,Zhongshen assisted it to complete customs clearance within 36 hours,which is 40% shorter than the industry average,saving about 12,000 RMB in storage fees.

3.Export Tax Refund Service: Electronic Acceleration in Coordination with Tax Authorities

The key to EU export tax refund is "consistency between documents and customs data".In 2026,Zhangjiagang Tax Bureau launched the "electronic tax refund system",but some enterprises failed to connect due to incomplete document information.Zhongshen’s response:

• Establisheda"document-customs-tax"datasynchronizationmechanismtoensurethatinformationofeachexportdocument100%matchesdataofEUcustomsanddomestictaxsystem
• ArrangeddedicatedpersonneltocoordinatewithZhangjiagangTaxBureau,realizing"submissiononthesameday,reviewonthenextday"fortaxrefundapplications,andshorteningtheaveragetaxrefundcycleto8days

For the chemical enterprise where Manager Duan works,after using Zhongshen’s export agency service,the tax refund cycle was shortened from 18 days to 8 days,capital turnover efficiency increased by 55%,and 2 new EU orders have been secured this year.

How Zhongshen Improves Customs Clearance and Tax Refund Efficiency

Based on 20 years of experience,Zhongshen has summarized three key methods to improve efficiency,the specific effects are as follows:

Customized Services Meet the Needs of Zhangjiagang Enterprises

Zhangjiagang enterprises have a wide range of export products,Zhongshen provides customized services for different products:

• Textileandapparel:FocusonassistingwithOEKO-TEXcertificationandGPSDcompliancefiletoensurecompliancewithEUenvironmentalandsafetystandards
• Intelligentequipment:AssistwithEUMachineryDirective(MD)certification,providetechnicalparametermatchingservice,avoiddeclarationrejectionduetonon-compliancewithstandards
• Newchemicalmaterials:FocusonaddressingCBAMcarbonfootprintdeclarationandREACHregulationupdates,providefull-processcompliancesolutions

General Manager Ji,former head of a textile enterprise in Zhangjiagang,once had a batch of goods worth 200,000 RMB returned by the EU due to expired OEKO-TEX certification,which caused heavy losses.After choosing Zhongshen’s agency service,General Manager Ji said: "They reminded me of the certification expiration 3 months in advance,and helped me connect with an EU-recognized testing institution.All 3 batches of goods exported to the EU this year have no problems,and the order volume has increased by 15% compared with last year."

Conclusion

New EU trade regulations in 2026 have put forward higher requirements for the export capability of Zhangjiagang enterprises.Choosing a professional agency service can not only reduce compliance risks,but also improve capital turnover efficiency.Zhongshen has been deeply engaged in foreign trade agency for 20 years,is familiar with policy details of the EU market,and can provide customized solutions for different types of export enterprises.If you have demand for exporting to the EU,you are welcome to contact Zhongshen’s service team to learn more detailed information about agency services.