Armenian exports: EU trade preferences finally applied by European customs
- Published
- Place
- Brussels, Belgium
- Event date
- Past event —
Summary
The customs advantages granted by the European Union to Armenian products are now being applied at the EU border. Armenia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade said on 3 November that it had learned from importers based in Belgium that the preferences had not yet been entered into TARIC, the database that sets customs duties in the EU. After Armenia’s mission to the EU raised the issue, they were added that same evening, at 7 pm in Brussels (10 pm in Yerevan). Duties paid since 10 October, when the scheme took effect, can be refunded under the established procedures. Regulation (EU) 2026/2269 removes customs duties for two years on a large share of Armenian goods, covering around 80% of the country’s exports to the EU.
Analysis
For more than three weeks, a measure adopted in Brussels therefore brought no benefit to Armenian exporters because it had not been entered into the customs system. Refunds limit the damage, provided companies apply for them. On the same day, Nikol Pashinyan met European Parliament President Roberta Metsola in Brussels and stressed the importance of the Parliament’s position in favour of the two-year preferences.
Possible consequences
Exporters should check each product’s customs code against the regulation’s annexes and TARIC. Some goods are exempt only within quotas, the first period of which runs until 31 December 2026, and proof of Armenian preferential origin is required.
