The members of the CEFTA Central European Free Trade Agreement today start applying transitional rules on the preferential origin of goods, together with the rules of the Pan-Euro-Mediterranean /Pem/ Convention, with the aim of reducing the administrative burden, simplifying trade and enabling companies to become more competitive.

CEFTA Secretariat Director Emir Đikić stated that by applying these rules, the parties will be able to increase their export competitiveness, and that these rules simplify the determination of the origin of goods and facilitate trade in CEFTA with the EU.

The new rules foresee several simplifications, which include more flexible and simpler product rules, more flexible tolerance rules in which the share of non-preferential materials in finished products is now increased from ten to 15 percent based on net mass for agricultural products, while for industrial products, except for textiles, the tolerance was set at 15 percent, it was announced from CEFTA.

In addition, the declaration of origin will be valid as a unique type of proof of origin and its validity period has been extended from four to ten months, and the options of agreement on the application of the system of registered exporters and agreement on the use of proof of origin that is issued or delivered electronically are also foreseen. way.

The possibilities of duty refund and full cumulation as advantages of transitional rules in CEFTA are applied from 2019.