EU Council approves temporary trade liberalisation with Armenia
On 2 September, the EU Council approved a temporary liberalised import regime for Armenian goods to support the country amid Russian trade restrictions. The measures will affect around 80% of Armenia's exports to the EU.
The Council of the European Union on 2 September unanimously backed the European Commission's proposal to introduce a temporary liberalised import regime for goods from Armenia. The decision aims to support Yerevan amid trade restrictions imposed by Moscow and to strengthen trade cooperation between Armenia and the EU.
The news was confirmed by the EU Council's press service, according to the outlet "European Pravda".
Scope of the measures
The new rules will cover roughly 80% of Armenia's exports to the EU. The impact will be especially notable for exporters of fresh fruit, vegetables and plants, where the liberalisation covers 99% of the volume previously shipped to Russia. For beverages, the eased conditions will apply to more than 91% of exports.
In practical terms, the measure involves a temporary suspension of import duties, including for certain agricultural products currently subject to tariff quotas. The liberalised regime will be introduced for a two-year period.
Conditions and safeguards
To keep the preferential terms in place, Armenia must comply with EU rules of origin, maintain proper administrative cooperation with the EU, and refrain from imposing restrictions on European imports. An additional condition is adherence to the core elements of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA), including principles of democracy, rule of law and respect for human rights.
The agreement also includes safeguard mechanisms in case any product category begins to negatively affect the position of European producers.
The European Parliament is expected to approve the proposal unchanged in September, with the approval procedure set to be completed quickly.
As a reminder, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan earlier announced, as part of the government programme, preparations to submit an application for EU membership.
