Council Regulation (EU) 2025/2605 of 12 December 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 of the European Parliament and of the Council 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 and uninterrupted 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 Union’s interest to ensure an adequate supply of certain products 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 those products.

(3) With a view to promoting integrated battery production in the Union, a partial suspension of CCT duties should be granted in respect of certain products related to battery production that are currently not listed in the Annex to Regulation (EU) 2021/2278 and the Union production of which is inadequate to meet the specific requirements of the user industries in the Union. The date for the mandatory review of those suspensions should be 31 December 2026 in order for that review to take into account the short-term evolution of the battery production sector in the Union.

(4) 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.

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

(6) 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. Those products should therefore be removed from that Annex with effect from 1 January 2026.

(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 January 2026. This Regulation should therefore enter into force as a matter of urgency,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

The Annex to Regulation (EU) 2021/2278 is replaced by the text set out in 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 January 2026.

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

Done at Brussels, 12 December 2025.

For the Council The President S. LOSE

(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).