EU Announces New Registration Procedures For Exports From Zimbabwe
The European Union (EU) on Monday announced new registration procedures for exporters intending to sell their commodities to the bloc under the EU- East and Southern Africa interim Economic Partnership Agreement.
The EU-ESA iEPA came into force in 2009 between the EU and Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles and Zimbabwe and provides preferential tariffs for goods emanating from ESA States into the EU.
The new registration procedures are contained in the Official Journal of the European Union number C 390/3.
The notice concerns the use of self-certification online for imports into the EU of products originating in Zimbabwe under the EU-ESA interim Economic Partnership Agreement. Reads part of the notice:
This notice is issued for the information of customs authorities, importers and economic operators, which are involved in imports into the EU of products originating in Zimbabwe under the EU-ESA interim Economic Partnership Agreement (the IEPA’).
Following a notification made by Zimbabwe to the Customs Cooperation Committee of the EU-ESA iEPA activating Article 18(3) of Protocol 1 to the EU-ESA iEPA, from 1 July 2021 products originating in Zimbabwe shall, on importation into the EU, benefit from the preferential tariff treatment of the iEPA upon submission of an invoice declaration made out, as provided for in Article 23 of Protocol, by: (i) a Zimbabwean exporter registered in the EU’s Registered Exporter system (the REX system), or (ii) any Zimbabwean exporter where the total value of the originating products consigned does not exceed EUR 6 000. From that date, paragraphs 1(a) and (b) of Article 18 ceased to apply for imports into the EU from Zimbabwe.
The notice also said from 1 July 2021, movement certificates EUR.1 and invoice declarations made out by approved exporters are no longer valid to claim preferential tariff treatment under the EU-ESA iEPA.
The EU-ESA iEPA contains provisions concerning rules of origin, development cooperation, fisheries, trade defence instruments and dispute settlement.
More: The Herald (Farirai Machivenyika)
