Since 2023, there have been important changes for retailers who ship their products to Austria. The reason for this is the comprehensive reform of packaging legislation in Austria, which parallels the changes already implemented in Germany. In this article, we highlight the main changes that have applied to foreign retailers shipping to Austria since January 2023.

The changes to the Austrian Packaging Ordinance are currently also attracting a great deal of interest among German retailers. The main reason for this is a significant innovation: since 1 January 2023, foreign retailers who ship products to Austria and do not have a branch there must appoint an official authorized representative. However, this requirement is not only valid in Austria; similar regulations also exist in other EU countries. We shed light on the countries in which the appointment of an authorized representative is required for shipping and what consequences this has for you.

International deliveries play a crucial role in global economic growth, especially for the e-commerce sector. This aspect has also been recognised by the European Union, which is why it has adapted its tax regulations accordingly since July 2021. These adjustments not only entail the fulfilment of certain requirements, for example from the German Packaging Act (VerpackG) or the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), but also impose additional obligations on retailers who ship products to end consumers within the EU.