The EU Council has approved the extension for another year of temporary measures to liberalize trade with Moldova, in particular, the preferential regime for the supply of seven categories of agricultural products without customs duties.
The decision on the extension of these measures until July 24, 2024 was adopted by the Council on July 20. The quotas and duties are suspended for seven categories of agricultural products: apples, cherries, plums, tomatoes, garlic, table grapes and grape juice. Thus, they can continue to be supplied to the EU markets without restrictions and customs duties. According to an EU Council message, Spanish Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism Héctor Gómez Hernández said that the adoption of such measures is aimed at ensuring the continuation of existing trade flows from Moldova to the EU, which will support Moldova's economy. This is particularly important, given Russia’s continued military aggression against Ukraine and the ongoing impact on Moldova, and considering that Moldova was granted EU candidate status in June 2022. Earlier, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economic Development and Digitalization Dumitru Alaiba said that the liberalization of trade between Moldova and the European Union has already had a positive impact on the Moldovan economy. "Access to the European market with greater openness and trade opportunities allowed Moldovan producers to promote and sell their products in a competitive environment. By extending such a measure as the suspension of duties and quotas on imports to the EU of goods from Moldova, the EU continues to show its commitment and support to Moldova," he said. For his part, the Chairman of the European Parliament's Delegation to the EU-Moldova Parliamentary Association Committee, Siegfried Muresan, said on his social media page that by adopting the resolution extending for one year the suspension of import duties and quotas applicable to products imported to the EU from Moldova, the EU wants to grant Moldova the widest possible access to the EU market, given that the war in Ukraine has had a strong impact on Moldova's international trade, as its products, which were exported to the East, transiting through Ukraine, were left without a market. According to Siegfried Muresan, access to the European market helped Moldova significantly last year, and overall exports from Moldova to the EU increased from 1.8 billion euros in 2021 to 2.6 billion euros in 2022. "We must continue to offer as much access as possible to Moldovan products in the EU, which is the largest domestic market in the world. Free access to Moldovan products does not have a negative impact on the EU market, but it is of great benefit to Moldovan producers. It is for this reason that I believe we should decide on a permanent liberalization of trade between Moldova and the European Union. A permanent liberalization, as opposed to a temporary suspension of taxes and import quotas, will ensure greater market predictability in Moldova, which will be able to attract more big investors," the Chairman of the European Parliament's Delegation to the EU-Moldova Parliamentary Association Committee said. //20.07.2023 - InfoMarket.
