When will the EU trade preferences come into effect for Armenian agricultural product exporters? Realistic timelines and procedures.
15-07-2026 16:27 Armenia Press of Diaspora
hetq.am During her recent visit to Armenia, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that the EU will implement autonomous trade measures (ATMs) to ease Russian sanctions and support Armenia, and that around 80% of Armenia's exports to EU countries will be exempt from customs duties. This was reported by Hetq:
«The [European - ed.] market will be open particularly for 99% of Armenian fresh agricultural products, which were previously exported to Russia. A door will also open for more than 90% of Armenian beverages and alcoholic drinks,» said the President of the European Commission.
Recently, EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos showed on her Instagram page how she made jam from apricots brought from Armenia, linking the EU's recent decision to supporting Armenia's democracy.
«When you go to the supermarket, pay attention to Armenian apricots, plums, or cherries. This is an opportunity to do a little something that can help Armenian farmers and support their country's democratic choice,» Kos wrote.
In light of these developments, the most pressing question for Armenian producers is when the EU's new decisions will officially come into effect.
Initiative: Law. The sluggishness of European bureaucracy
To get an idea of realistic timelines, it is necessary to understand how such laws and decisions are typically adopted in the EU.
On the EUR-Lex platform of official EU documents, we see that the European Commission presented the legislative initiative on July 2. This proposal must go through the EU's ordinary legislative procedure (Ordinary Legislative Procedure - OLP).
In order for this initiative to become an official law, it must be discussed, go through a debate phase, and be approved by two separate bodies: the European Parliament, which represents EU citizens, and the European Council, which is responsible for the implementation of EU decisions and legislative proposals.
The legislative proposal has already been forwarded to the European Parliament's Committee on International Trade (INTA), which discussed it for the first time yesterday, on July 14. By the way, the head of the Armenian representation in the EU, Tigran Balayan, also participated in the discussion.
Typically, this committee discusses the text of the proposed initiative for months, its members suggest amendments, after which the legislative initiative is sent to the European Parliament for a final vote in a plenary session.
The adoption of a standard EU law can take a year or more.
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