Council Regulation (EU) 2025/1303 of 23 June 2025 amending Regulation (EU) 2021/2278 suspending the Common Customs Tariff duties referred to in Article 56(2), point (c), of Regulation (EU) No 952/2013 on certain agricultural and industrial products

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 31 thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,

Whereas:

(1) In order to ensure a sufficient supply of certain agricultural and industrial products which are not produced in the Union and thereby avoid any disturbances on the market for those products, Common Customs Tariff duties of the type referred to in Article 56(2), point (c), of Regulation (EU) No 952/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council (1) (‘CCT duties’) on those products have been suspended by Council Regulation (EU) 2021/2278 (2). As a result, the products listed in the Annex to Regulation (EU) 2021/2278 can be imported into the Union at reduced or zero duty rates without any limitation as regards their quantity.

(2) The Union production of certain products that are not listed in the Annex to Regulation (EU) 2021/2278 is inadequate to meet the specific requirements of the user industries in the Union. As it is in the interest of the Union to ensure an adequate supply of products meeting those requirements, and having regard to the fact that identical, equivalent or substitute products are not produced in sufficient quantities within the Union, it is necessary to grant a complete suspension of the CCT duties on such products.

(3) It is necessary to amend the product description, classification, or end-use requirement for certain products listed in the Annex to Regulation (EU) 2021/2278 in order to take into account technical product developments and economic trends in the market.

(4) The Commission has reviewed in accordance with Article 2(2) of Regulation (EU) 2021/2278 certain CCT duty suspensions for products listed in the Annex to that Regulation. As it is in the interest of the Union to maintain the CCT duty suspensions for some of those products, new dates should be set for their next mandatory review.

(5) It is no longer in the interest of the Union to maintain the suspension of CCT duties for certain products listed in the Annex to Regulation (EU) 2021/2278. The suspensions for those products should therefore be deleted with effect from 1 July 2025.

(6) In response to the Russian Federation’s ongoing war of agression against Ukraine and the continued involvement of Belarus in actions undermining Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, the Union has adopted restrictive measures to limit trade benefits granted to Russia and Belarus. However, Council Regulation (EU) 2022/2583 (3) retained the suspension of CCT duties for certain products originating in Belarus falling under TARIC code 2926 90 70 24 and for certain products originating in Russia falling under TARIC codes 7608 20 89 30 and 8401 30 00 20. Given the continuing geopolitical instability and the need to reinforce the effectiveness of the Union’s restrictive measures, to ensure consistency with the objectives of the Union’s trade policy and to prevent economic advantages from being conferred upon entities supporting actions contrary to international law, it is appropriate to discontinue those exceptions for products originating in Belarus falling under TARIC code 2926 90 70 24 and for products originating in Russia falling under TARIC code 7608 20 89 30, and to reinstate the application of CCT duties on imports of those products originating in Russia and Belarus.

(7) Regulation (EU) 2021/2278 should therefore be amended accordingly.

(8) In order to avoid any interruption in the application of the autonomous tariff suspension scheme and to comply with the guidelines set out in the communication from the Commission of 13 December 2011 concerning autonomous tariff suspensions and quotas, the changes provided for in this Regulation regarding the tariff suspensions for the products concerned should apply from 1 July 2025. This Regulation should therefore enter into force as a matter of urgency,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

Regulation (EU) 2021/2278 is amended as follows:

(2) the Annex is amended in accordance with the Annex to this Regulation.

Article 2

This Regulation shall enter into force on the day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

It shall apply from 1 July 2025.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.

Done at Luxembourg, 23 June 2025.

For the Council The President C. SIEKIERSKI

(1) Regulation (EU) No 952/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 October 2013 laying down the Union Customs Code (OJ L 269, 10.10.2013, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2013/952/oj).

(2) Council Regulation (EU) 2021/2278 of 20 December 2021 suspending the Common Customs Tariff duties referred to in Article 56(2), point (c), of Regulation (EU) No 952/2013 on certain agricultural and industrial products, and repealing Regulation (EU) No 1387/2013 (OJ L 466, 29.12.2021, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2021/2278/oj).

(3) Council Regulation (EU) 2022/2583 of 19 December 2022 amending Regulation (EU) 2021/2278 suspending the Common Customs Tariff duties referred to in Article 56(2), point (c), of Regulation (EU) No 952/2013 on certain agricultural and industrial products (OJ L 340, 30.12.2022, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2022/2583/oj).