The European Parliament will vote tomorrow on a proposal to extend trade preferences for certain agricultural products from Western Balkan countries until 2030, with the aim of ensuring the sustainable economic development of partners from the region.
Under the existing regulation of the European Parliament and the Council of the EU, which is valid until 31 December, fruit and vegetables exported from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia are exempt from specific customs duties, and access is granted to the global customs quota for wine originating from the Western Balkans.
The European Commission has recommended that support for the vulnerable economies of the Western Balkans region continue by extending the application of the Regulation on exceptional trade measures for countries and territories participating in or associated with the Stabilisation and Association Process for a further five years, until 31 December 2030.
In October, the Committee on International Trade adopted the report by rapporteur Kris Van Dijk on the proposed amendment to the regulation and recommended that the European Parliament approve the proposal.
The extension until 2030 represents a proposal that “balances continuity, responsibility and legal certainty” and provides the Western Balkans and economic operators with “limited access to the core market while maintaining appropriate conditionality mechanisms,” according to the European Parliament’s website.
It is further stated that the extension of these measures aligns with the EU Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, which emphasises closer integration of the region into the EU’s single market.
In order for the countries of the region to benefit from these preferences, they must comply with the definition of products of origin, commit not to increase tariffs or restrictions on goods imported from the EU, and refrain from “engaging in serious and systemic violations of human rights, including fundamental workers’ rights, and must respect the principles of democracy and the rule of law.”
They must also carry out economic reforms and cooperate with other countries, particularly in establishing a regional free trade area.
The European Commission may propose a full or partial suspension of trade preferences if a country fails to meet its obligations.
Trade between the EU and Western Balkan countries amounted to more than 83 billion euros in 2024. The European Union is the leading trading partner of the region, accounting for nearly 78 per cent of the region’s total exports and 59 per cent of its imports.
As rapporteur Van Dijk notes in the justification of the proposal, trade covered by these measures increased by more than 125 per cent between 2018 and 2024, from 60.5 million euros to 137 million euros.
Source Link