The reflection of the preferences set for Armenian goods in the European Union's Integrated Tariff (TARIC) system has been technically delayed, but the issue has already been resolved. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade has learned from businessmen importing Armenian goods into Belgium that ensuring the regulation on the application of EU autonomous trade measures required time, and the established preferences did not appear in the system for some time.
The ministry, through Armenia's representation in the EU, has taken the necessary steps to settle the issue. As a result, the preferences envisaged for Armenian goods will be fully reflected in the EU's integrated customs tariff system today, November 3, at 19:00 (22:00 Yerevan time).
Exporters who have paid customs duties since the autonomous measures entered into force on October 10 will be able to recover those sums in accordance with the established procedures. In other words, this concerns not only future exports but also the refund of sums already paid.
In practice, this means that for Armenian exporters, the conditions for entering the EU market are finally being equalized with what was promised under the autonomous trade measures. And the refund of customs duties paid after October 10 could be a significant sum for companies that continued deliveries during that period without waiting for the technical regulation.
It is noteworthy that the problem was mainly reported by the businessmen themselves, through Armenian suppliers working in Belgium. This shows how important it is that such preferences are not only on paper but actually work at customs checkpoints.
It is still unclear exactly how many companies and what amount of money the refund will concern, as well as how quickly the procedures will be completed. Answers to these questions will be received in the coming weeks.
