What legal steps are needed to start an e-commerce store in the EU?

[Anonymous]

Hello guys. I am just starting out in this e-commerce business, and after some research, I can say I understand the basics of it, how it works, and the overall steps I need to take to get a store running. Of course, there are many things I know I’ll learn by encountering them, but there was a big part of the process that I did not understand. The "legal" part of things. The paperwork you need to start. I must say I am from the EU, Romania to be more exact, and of course I want the website to deliver and run worldwide, or at least in the EU. Besides starting and filing a trading company or registering as a sole proprietor/self-employed, I would like to know if there are any legal procedures I need to take to get the store going. If any of you have encountered a similar situation or know what the procedure is for someone in the EU starting a store, let me know. I considered contacting an accountant here in Romania; let me know if I should. All help is appreciated. Thank you all, and good luck scaling and growing

[Kitana]

Hi @Anonymous, welcome to the Shopify Community. 
 
That's a great question and it shows you are really looking into all the different parts in starting a business. Each country will have different laws and regulations when it comes to starting your own business, because of this it is always best to contact a business professional that is local to you. You can contact a commercial lawyer, an accountant, and sometimes depending where you live they have professions at the bank that can answer your questions. 
 
Before you contact anyone, especially if you're using a paid service, you can do a Google search for some of the more commonly known legal issues people can run into when they launch their business. Copy right issues, legal trademarks, etc. You should be able to find some information about that on sites like Reddit, just make sure you include your country when Googling. Then when you do speak to a professional you can save some time by just confirming the information you've learned to be true, instead of them explaining it to you and taking up more possibly paid time. 
 
I'm so excited for you to get started, do you already have an idea on what you plan to sell?