On Thursday 24 July, the European Union and Moldova announced an agreement on future tariff quotas under the trade agreement between them. The model agreement is similar to the one concluded with Ukraine a few weeks ago (see EUROPE 13674/5): it increases quotas for non-liberalised agricultural products compared to the period before the war in Ukraine. Like Kyiv, Chișinău benefited, between July 2022 and July 2025, from full liberalisation of its exports to the EU, thanks to the Autonomous Trade Measures (ATMs). The EU had promised a longer-term solution for trade with Moldova as the deadline approached.
There is no fear of a massive influx of Moldovan agricultural products into the Member States, which is why the Commission has announced total liberalisation for three of the seven products concerned: Moldovan grape juice, tomatoes and garlic will be able to enter the EU without quotas, if the agreement is ratified. Moldovan tomatoes will, however, be subject to certain elements of the entry price system, to prevent them from being marketed at excessively low prices.
For the four remaining products - plums, table grapes, apples and cherries - the tariff quotas have been increased compared to the pre-war period. For example, table grapes have gone from 20,000 to 40,000 tonnes a year duty-free, while the volume of plums has quadrupled (from 15,000 to 61,000 tonnes a year).
In exchange, Moldova will gradually open up its market, in particular to European poultry, pork and dairy products.
The increase in tariff quotas is subject to the alignment of Moldovan standards with those of the EU.
Although Moldovan products pose less of a threat to European farmers than those from Ukraine, the Commission has nevertheless introduced a safeguard mechanism in the event of excessive imports. This could be triggered if negative effects on the European economy are observed in a single Member State.
To see details of quotas, go to https://aeur.eu/f/i00 (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)