The Council adopted a regulation temporarily liberalising trade in the seven Moldovan agricultural products that are not already fully liberalised: tomatoes, garlic, table grapes, apples, cherries, plums and grape juice. This means that Moldova can at least double its exports of these products - for a period of one year – to the European Union without any tariffs.
"We cannot overlook the impact of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine on Moldova. With duties lifted from the remaining agricultural products not already fully liberalised, Moldova can now export at least twice as much of these products to the EU without duties. With these exceptional measures, the EU deepens its trade relations with Moldova and shows its support for the stabilisation of Moldova’s economy." said Jozef Síkela, Czech Minister of Industry and Trade.
Russia's unprovoked and unjustified war of aggression against Ukraine has had a devastating impact on Ukraine, as well as on the Republic of Moldova. This has negatively affected Moldova’s ability to trade with the rest of the world, since its exports rely heavily on Ukrainian infrastructures, and because it has largely lost access to its markets in Ukraine, Russia and Belarus.
When entering into force, today’s decision will apply, for a period of one year, to seven agricultural products from Moldova that are at present still subject to tariff rate quotas when entering the EU. The temporary trade liberalisation measures will redirect those exports towards the EU.
The decision is conditional upon respect for the principles set out in Article 2 of the agreement establishing the deep and comprehensive free trade area (DCFTA), which has liberalised almost all trade with Moldova, except in the seven agricultural products addressed by this regulation.
Background and next steps
The Commission tabled its proposal on temporary trade-liberalisation measures supplementing trade concessions applicable to Moldovan products under the Association Agreement between the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community and their Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Moldova, of the other part, on 9 June 2022.
On 29 June the Council sent a letter to the European Parliament signalling its agreement with the regulation, which was then voted by the EP plenary on 5 July 2022.
Now that the regulation has been adopted by both the European Parliament and the Council, it will be signed and published in the Official Journal, before entering into force on the day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
Source: Council of the European Union