Resources

VEDP's Supply Chain Program team brings you a curated snapshot of the latest insights, trends, and developments shaping the global supply chain world. This edition focuses on tariffs and exploring strategies that businesses can use to reduce their impact.

Poland is home to the largest economy in Central and Eastern Europe and continues to grow. The Polish GDP in 2025 is $980B. Excluding 2020, the country has grown in GDP every year since 1992. This resilient and competitive economy is led by strong performance in the sectors of food & beverage, automotive, chemicals, electronics, and furniture. Poland is an advanced manufacturing hub in Europe, meriting a need for new technologies and materials via imports. Innovation and modernization projects are occurring in the agricultural, defense, and transportation sectors, while demand increases for clean energy. Given the country’s NATO membership and geographic location, Poland’s military is important globally and provides numerous opportunities for trade engagement. U.S. exporters will benefit from local expertise and experience as they navigate these markets, but Poland’s sizeable business and consumer markets are generally open to many industries and products.

Known as the “Silicon Valley of Eastern Europe”, Romania provides a plethora of opportunities for exporters in technology, defense, energy, and healthcare sectors. Momentum has slowed slightly, but Romania continues to make strides toward the European Union average GDP per capita. Romania is the largest Balkan country and boasts a highly educated workforce, particularly in information technology – it has the 6th highest density of IT professionals in the world. The country is a hub for agriculture given its extensive natural resources. Romania is making efforts to modernize its military, healthcare system, and educational system and pursue renewable energy sources. While knowledge of the regulatory framework via a local representative may be helpful, exporters in any industry can find success in Romanian markets with a strong value proposition.

The Brazilian economy is the second largest in the Western Hemisphere, accounting for more than half of Latin America's GDP; the IMF projects that by the end of 2024, Brazil will boast the world’s 8th largest economy. Geographically, the country is larger than the contiguous U.S., and business environments differ regionally. There is a large concentration of population and economic activity in Southeastern Brazil, including the states of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Minas Gerais. Brazil's financial capital and prime international business hub is São Paulo. Brazil may be a challenging market for many U.S. exporters at first, but those willing to invest time and resources in understanding and overcoming the challenges of doing business within this geographically diverse, resource-rich, and economically dynamic country will have a great opportunity to succeed.

Finland has a strong industrial base with key sectors including electronics, machinery, vehicles, and other engineered metal products. Finland is highly dependent on international trade. Imports amounted to $123 billion in 2023 (goods: $82 billion; services: $41 billion). The largest exporters to Finland included Germany, Sweden, China, Netherlands, and the U.S. Imports mainly consist of energy products, raw materials and investment goods, machinery and transport equipment, fuel, and chemicals. Finns are “fluent in international trade” and have good English language skills.

Sweden is one of the most industrialized countries in Europe. In recent years, Sweden has seen a notable expansion in high value-added sectors such as biotechnology, life sciences, advanced engineering, nanotechnology, and information technology, including software development. The service sector accounts for approximately 70% of GDP, reflecting the country's advanced stage of economic growth. In 2024, Sweden’s GDP is expected to be $624B, a 0.2% increase from the year prior. Having local representation who speaks the Swedish language is a significant advantage for U.S. companies, as local contractors and suppliers with daily operations in the market, access to valuable information, and connections with key decision-makers can more effectively identify and respond to business opportunities.