On July 18, the European Council adopted a resolution on the temporary removal of tariffs on certain types of agricultural products from Moldova, on July 18 the Agriland online publication reports.
The trade agreement covers tomatoes, garlic, table grapes, apples, cherries, plums and grape juice. It means that Moldova can at least double the export of these products to the European Union within one year without any tariffs, the European Council said.
The EU Council explained that Moldova’s ability to trade with the rest of the world was greatly affected by the situation in Ukraine. Moldova is heavily dependent on Ukrainian infrastructure to export its products. In addition, the country has largely lost access to its markets in Ukraine, Russia and Belarus. As planned by the European Council, temporary trade measures will redirect these Moldovan exports towards the EU.
Czech Industry and Trade Minister Josef Sikela welcomed today’s trade agreement; The country assumed the Presidency of the Council of the EU on 1 July. “Because duties on the remaining agricultural products, not yet fully liberalized, have been removed, 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 demonstrates its support for the stabilization of its economy,” Sikela said.
Recall that in June the European Commission proposed to temporarily remove tariff restrictions on Moldovan plums, table grapes, apples, tomatoes, garlic, cherries and grape juice. This decision was awaiting the approval of the European Parliament and the EU Council.
