Regulation (EU) 2022/1279 on temporary trade-liberalisation measures supplementing trade concessions applicable to products from the Republic of Moldova 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

What it is

to increase trade flows from Moldova by granting additional tariff-free imports into the Union for Moldovan agricultural products, taking into account the crisis situation in Moldova following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. PROPOSED ACT: Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council. ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: the European Parliament decides in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure and on an equal footing with the Council. BACKGROUND: Russia's military aggression against Ukraine since 24 February 2022 has had a profoundly negative impact on Moldova's ability to trade with the rest of the world . In this difficult context, Moldova has asked the EU to ensure as much as possible the conditions for Moldova to reorient its trade with the rest of the world towards the EU and to further deepen its trade relations with the Union. The European Parliament adopted by 572 votes to 28, with 32 abstentions, a legislative resolution on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council 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. The European Parliament adopted its position at first reading under the ordinary legislative procedure by taking over the Commission's proposal. The proposal aims to introduce temporary trade liberalisation measures for a period of one year , with a view to increasing the degree of market liberalisation, in particular as regards seven agricultural products which are usually subject to annual duty-free tariff quotas. Seven products are concerned, notably: tomatoes, garlic, table grapes, apples, cherries, plums and grape juice. Two of these products (plums and table grapes) were exported by Moldova in large volumes to third markets, in particular to Russia, Belarus and Ukraine The regulation provides for additional duty-free quotas in order to temporarily redirect trade to the EU and to provide Moldova with an accessible market. The duties for plums and table grapes should be increased to the volume originally intended for third markets. For the remaining products ( tomatoes, garlic, apples, cherries and grape juice ), the newly introduced duty-free tariff-rate quotas would consist of an additional duty-free volume of the same size as the one provided for in the Association Agreement. Conditions for entitlement to the trade-liberalisation measures The trade-liberalisation measures are subject to the following conditions: - compliance with the rules of origin of products and the procedures related thereto as provided for in the Association Agreement; - Moldova’s abstention from introducing new duties or charges having equivalent effect and new quantitative restrictions or measures having equivalent effect for imports originating in the Union, from increasing existing levels of duties or charges or from introducing any other restrictions, including discriminatory internal administrative measures, unless clearly justified…

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