Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/2599

Contents

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,Having regard to Regulation (EU) No 510/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 April 2014 laying down the trade arrangements applicable to certain goods resulting from the processing of agricultural products and repealing Council Regulations (EC) No 1216/2009 and (EC) No 614/2009^note, and in particular Article 16(1), point (a), thereof,Having regard to Council Decision 2004/859/EC of 25 October 2004 concerning the conclusion of an Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters between the European Community and the Kingdom of Norway on Protocol 2 to the bilateral Free Trade Agreement between the European Economic Community and the Kingdom of Norway^note, and in particular Article 3 thereof,Whereas:

(1)Protocol 2 to the Agreement between the European Economic Community and the Kingdom of Norway of 14 May 1973^note (‘the bilateral Free Trade Agreement between the European Economic Community and the Kingdom of Norway’) and Protocol 3 to the Agreement on the European Economic Area (‘EEA Agreement’)^note as amended by Decision No 140/2001 of the EEA Joint Committee^note, determine the trade arrangements between the Union and the Kingdom of Norway for certain agricultural and processed agricultural products.

(2)Protocol 3 to the EEA Agreement provides for a zero rate of duty for waters containing added sugar or other sweetening matter or flavoured, classified under CN code 22021000, and other non-alcoholic beverages not containing products of headings 0401 to 0404 or fat obtained from products of headings 0401 to 0404, classified under CN code 22029010.

(3)Since 1 January 2017, CN code 220290 has been replaced by CN codes 22029100 and 220299. Therefore, this Regulation should cover products of CN codes 22021000, ex22029100 and ex220299.

(4)The Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters between the European Community and the Kingdom of Norway concerning Protocol 2 to the bilateral Free Trade Agreement between the European Economic Community and the Kingdom of Norway^note (‘the Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters’) temporarily suspends the duty-free regime applied under Protocol 2 to goods classified under CN codes 22021000 (waters, including mineral waters and aerated waters, containing added sugar or other sweetening matter or flavoured) and ex22029010 (other non-alcoholic beverages containing sugar) replaced by CN codes 22021000, ex22029100 and ex220299. In accordance with the Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters, duty-free imports of those goods, originating in Norway, are to be allowed only within the limits of a tariff quota with 0 % duty rate. A duty of 0,047 EUR/litre is applicable for import quantities that exceed that tariff quota.

(5)It is further set out in the Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters that if the tariff quota has not been exhausted by 31 October of a given year, the products in question are to be granted unlimited duty-free access to the Union from 1 January to 31 December of the following year.

(6)The annual quota for 2024 for the products in question opened by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/2169^note had not been exhausted by 31 October 2024. Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/3001^note consequently provided that the duty regime laid down in the Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters was not to apply to imports into the Union from 1 January to 31 December 2025, thus granting the goods concerned unlimited duty-free access to the Union.

(7)The Agreement in the Form of an Exchange of Letters requires that the duty-free quota for the products in question be opened again for 2026. The last annual quota for those products was opened for 2024 by Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/2169. As no annual quota was opened for 2025, it is appropriate to set the quota volume for 2026 at the same level as for 2024.

(8)The tariff quotas should be managed by the Commission on the basis of the chronological order of dates of acceptance of the customs declarations for release for free circulation in accordance with the rules for the management of tariff quotas laid down in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/2447^note.

(9)The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee on horizontal questions concerning trade in processed agricultural products not listed in Annex I to Regulation (EU) No 510/2014,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: