Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/2009 of 2 October 2025 amending Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1988 as regards the quantities that may be imported under certain tariff quotas following the amendment of the Association Agreement between the European Union and Moldova

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

Having regard to Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 establishing a common organisation of the markets in agricultural products and repealing Council Regulations (EEC) No 922/72, (EEC) No 234/79, (EC) No 1037/2001 and (EC) No 1234/2007 (1), and in particular Article 187 thereof,

Whereas:

(1) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1988 (2) lays down rules for the administration of import tariff rate quotas based on the chronological order of dates of acceptance of customs declarations (‘first come, first served’ principle).

(2) The Association Agreement between the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community and their Member States, of the one part, and Moldova, of the other part (3) (the ‘Association Agreement’) sets out, under the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (‘DCFTA’), certain tariff rate quotas for Moldovan products imported into the Union. Regulation (EU) 2024/1501 of the European Parliament and of the Council (4) laid down temporary trade liberalisation measures that supplemented trade concessions for Moldovan products. That Regulation suspended all tariff rate quotas established under the Association Agreement until 24 July 2025. After that date, trade between the Union and Moldova reverted to the tariff rules established under the Association Agreement.

(3) Decision No 1/2025 of the EU-Moldova Association Committee in Trade Configuration of 19 September 2025 on reduction and elimination of customs duties pursuant to Article 147(4) of the Association Agreement (the ‘Decision’) (5) amends the Association Agreement by modifying several tariff rate quotas falling within the scope of the DCFTA. In particular, that Decision increases the quantities of products originating in Moldova to be imported in the EU under certain tariff rate quotas. It also liberalises the imports of several products from Moldova, which results in the removal of certain tariff rate quotas.

(4) The modifications introduced by the Decision relate to the tariff rate quotas laid down in Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1988. These modifications should therefore be reflected in Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1988.

(5) Therefore, Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1988 should be amended accordingly.

(6) This Regulation should enter into force on the day following that of its publication in order to timely implement the modifications introduced by the Decision.

(7) In order to ensure conformity with the Association Agreement as amended by the Decision, this Regulation should apply from the same date as that Decision.

(8) As certain amendments made by this Regulation apply to tariff quota periods that are ongoing on the date of application of this Regulation, in particular for products harvested and available for export mostly in late summer and autumn, it is appropriate to set transitional provisions concerning the quantities allocated between 25 July 2025 and the date of application of this Regulation.

(9) The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee for the Common Organisation of the Agricultural Markets,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

Amendments to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1988

Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1988 is amended in accordance with the Annex to this Regulation.

Article 2

Transitional provisions

The quantity available for the remainder of the tariff quota period that is ongoing on the date of application of this Regulation shall be the difference between the new quantity, as laid down in the Annex to this Regulation, and the quantities already allocated between 25 July 2025 and the date of application of this Regulation.

If on the date of application of this Regulation, the relevant tariff quota period has already started and the quantity previously available is exhausted, the difference between the new quantity and the previous quantity shall be allocated to operators based on the chronological order of the acceptance date of the customs declaration for release for free circulation. In order for operators who imported their goods out of a tariff rate quota before the date of application of this Regulation to request the benefit of the relevant tariff rate quota set out in Annex I to Regulation (EU) 2020/1988 as amended by this Regulation, they shall amend their customs declaration. Where the customs authorities grant the benefit of the relevant tariff quota to a request by an operator, they shall reimburse that operator the difference in import duty already paid.

Article 3

Entry into force and application

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 as of 4 October 2025.

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

Done at Brussels, 2 October 2025.

For the Commission The President Ursula VON DER LEYEN

(1) OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 671, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2013/1308/oj.

(2) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1988 of 11 November 2020 laying down rules for the application of Regulations (EU) No 1308/2013 and (EU) No 510/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the administration of import tariff quotas in accordance with the ‘first come, first served’ principle (OJ L 422, 14.12.2020, p. 4, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2020/1988/oj).

(3) Association Agreement between the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community and their Member States, of the one part, and Moldova, of the other part (OJ L 260, 30.8.2014, p. 4, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/agree_internation/2014/492/2023-10-06).

(4) Regulation (EU) 2024/1501 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 May 2024 on temporary trade-liberalisation measures supplementing trade concessions applicable to products from the Republic of Moldova under the Association Agreement between the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community and their Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Moldova, of the other part (OJ L, 2024/1501, 29.5.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1501/oj).

(5) OJ L, 2025/1961, 24.9.2025, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2025/1961/oj.