Soon, more plums, grapes and other agricultural products from Moldova will enter European markets duty-free. The European Commission will enable improved market access for products from Moldova that are still subject to EU tariff rate quotas. The exemption corresponds to the one previously granted to Ukraine.
With this, Brussels wants to help Moldova to cope with the economic consequences of the Russian war against neighboring Ukraine. Moldova is located on the northeast side of the Balkans. Since the country's independence in the early 1990s, an eastern strip of the country (Transnistria), in the border area with Ukraine, has been occupied by Russian troops.
It is feared by some observers that, after eventually conquering the Ukrainian south coast, Russia may want to make a further military leap towards Western Europe, via Transnistria and Moldova.
Moldova has benefited from an association agreement with the EU for several years, but so far this has not been the case for seven agricultural products. The proposed measures apply to plums, table grapes, apples, tomatoes, garlic, cherries and grape juice.
The regulation doubles the EU import – for a period of one year – of these products. The potential tariff-free volumes will now be worth approximately €55 million, including approximately €10 million for plums and €27 million for table grapes.
Together with better access to road transport in the EU (currently under negotiation between Moldova and the EU), liberalization should facilitate the export of Moldovan products to and through the EU.
In addition, the EU are open to discussion of further mutual liberalization, which would take the EU and Moldova one step further towards full trade liberalization.
The proposal now has to be approved by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union, probably as early as July.