The European Union will retain for Moldova a preferential regime for the supply of 7 categories of agricultural products to the EU market without paying customs duties.
This was announced by the Ministry of Agriculture, noting that, in particular, the Commission on International Trade of the European Parliament voted for a resolution extending for another year such a measure as the suspension of duties and quotas on imports of goods from Moldova to the European Union. Thus, apples, cherries, plums, tomatoes, garlic, table grapes and grape juice from Moldova can continue to be sold on EU markets without paying customs duties. Siegfried Muresan, chairman of the European Parliament delegation to the EU-Moldova Parliamentary Association Committee, said that the war in Ukraine had a strong impact on the Moldovan economy. Its products, which were exported mainly to the East, in transit through Ukraine, were left without these markets. “That is why in 2022 we decided at the European level to suspend import duties and increase quotas for 7 categories of goods subject to tariff quotas: tomatoes, garlic, table grapes, apples, cherries, plums and grape juice,” said Siegfried Muresan. According to him, access to the European market helped Moldova significantly last year. “In general, exports from Moldova to the EU increased from 1.8 billion euros in 2021 to 2.6 billion euros in 2022,” Siegfried Mureşan added. The final vote on this resolution should take place at the plenary session of the European Parliament, which will be held at the scheduled session in early July, and the decision will enter into force on July 24. As previously reported by the European Commission, the Autonomous Trade Measures (ATM), which came into force on July 25, 2022, had a positive impact on Moldova's trade with the EU. Moldovan exports to the rest of the world suffered from the war in Ukraine because they often depended on transit through Ukrainian territory and Ukrainian infrastructure. Last year, ATMs helped Moldova redirect exports through the EU. In general, exports from Moldova to the EU increased from 1.8 billion euros in 2021 to 2.6 billion euros in 2022. As noted, unilateral and temporary ATMs significantly expand the scope of tariff liberalization within the framework of the Deep and Comprehensive Free Zone EU-Moldova trade, suspending all outstanding duties and quotas. In practice, this means that the export of 7 agricultural products from Moldova, which are subject to tariff quotas, will now be fully liberalized: tomatoes, garlic, table grapes, apples, cherries, plums and grape juice. The majority of Moldovan exports are already delivered duty-free to the EU market in accordance with the EU-Moldova Association Agreement, and the number and range of products covered by ATM are small. //27.06.2023 — InfoMarket.
