EURATEX welcomes the current proposals and welcomes the pragmatic solution proposed by the EC, although no full and final agreement has been reached with all EMP partners. The proposed rules will facilitate the integration of CT supply chains and thus stimulate production and trade of CT in the region. At a time when several companies are trying to transfer their production from distant countries to a nearby production site, it is high time that the PEM agreement be implemented. This package, which is a step towards modernising the PEM agreement, includes 21 council decision proposals that provide for rules of origin that are easier to use in EU trade agreements with most neighbouring countries. Trade with these countries amounted to EUR 677 billion in 2019, or almost half of the EU`s preferential trade. These provisions will make it easier for products to obtain products with a commercial benefit, such as.B.: on 24 August 2020, the European Commission adopted a set of proposals to strengthen trade between the European Union and neighbouring countries in the pan-Euro-Mediterranean region (EMP). The proposals will modernise the EU`s preferential trade agreements with 20 EMP trading partners by making the “rules of origin” of these agreements more flexible and business-friendly. The proposals aim to change the rules of origin in the EU bilateral agreements with 20 parties to the PEP agreement: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, the Faroe Islands, Turkey, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine (this name should not be interpreted as recognition of a State of Palestine and does not affect the individual positions of the Member States in this area) , Georgia , Republic of Moldova, Ukraine, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Northern Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Kosovo. The next steps in this process will be the Council`s presentation of Commission proposals to amend the original protocols in the bilateral agreements between the EU and the interested countries and their adoption by the Council, which is expected to be finalised before the summer. The competent authorities under the bilateral agreements should then adopt the revised protocols as soon as the parties concerned have completed the internal procedures necessary for their approval. Before the revised rules come into force, the Commission will publish detailed guidelines on their application and organise seminars to explain how they work for the benefit of economic operators and customs.

The revised rules will be more business-friendly, better adapted to current business and commercial needs, and will be more responsive to the rules introduced in recent EU trade agreements. The most important improvements are: to enjoy the benefits of a trade agreement between the United Kingdom and another country, a British exporter must demonstrate that the product it sells actually comes from the United Kingdom or that it has provided sufficient work (subject to the innumerable conditions provided by the specific agreement). EFTA has free trade agreements with all countries except Algeria, Moldova, Kosovo and Syria.