But Myers says he's not holding his breath for the so-called level playing field. But major discrepancies remain between the dream and reality for exporters. Myers says that beyond the obvious problems of language barriers and different business culture nuances, bureaucratic red tape and subtle yet widespread protectionism continue throughout Europe. Tariffs have fallen, but value-added taxes and other local regulations have taken their place, raising prices and hindering distribution. Phyto-sanitary regulations are also a source of some irritation for industries.
Rules governing large, medium and small companies also vary widely from country to country.
Fluke's Van Saun, a 35-year veteran of the company, says he expects that it will take at least another 10 to 20 years before laws and regulations governing imported goods are the same throughout Europe and the way of doing business becomes more normalized across the Continent. Boxlight's Myers isn't that optimistic. It's a mistake for anybody to think that Europe is like America or will be like America. When you figure that countries like Bosnia and Herzegovina are fighting over issues that happened in the 14th century, you realize these people have long memories. Jeff Bond is managing editor of Washington CEO magazine.