The measure establishes duty-free import quotas for eight categories of agricultural products, including grapes, apricots, cherries, peaches, and cucumbers. The approved text also includes safeguard mechanisms allowing the European Union to intervene if an increase in imports from Armenia negatively impacts European producers.

The initiative is a response to the restrictions Russia has imposed since May 2026 on the export of Armenian products—such as alcoholic beverages, mineral water, and fruit and vegetables—as well as on their transit through Russian territory. According to the European Commission, these restrictions disrupt Armenia’s traditional supply chains and significantly limit the country’s access to its usual export markets, with a particularly severe impact on small and medium-sized enterprises and agricultural producers.

The European Union presents this initiative as a temporary measure to support the Armenian economy and open up new opportunities for the country’s exporters to access the European market. The Council of the European Union approved the draft on September 2 and forwarded it to the European Parliament for approval. The next step is formal approval by the Council, after which the regulation will enter into force the day following its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

Source: Fresh Plaza