On July 10, the Agreement on a Free Trade zone between the Eurasian Economic Union and its member states on the one hand and the Republic of Serbia on the other hand, signed on October 25, 2019, comes into force.
The text of the Agreement and its unofficial translation are posted on the website of the Eurasian Economic Commission.
In accordance with the Agreement, goods enjoy a free trade regime if they meet the criteria of origin established by the Rules for Determining the Origin of Goods, as well as a valid certificate of origin of the form ST-2 is submitted to the customs authority of the importing party.
In accordance with article 10 of the Rules for Determining the Origin of Goods, one of the conditions for granting a free trade regime is the direct supply of goods from Belarus to Serbia. At the same time, there is no previously mandatory requirement in the new Agreement that it is necessary to conclude a contract between residents of the two countries.
Other innovations are:
- the need to provide certificates of origin of the ST-2 form for the purpose of cumulating the origin of the goods to confirm the origin of the materials used in the manufacture of the goods (Article 6 of the Rules);
- the possibility for Belarusian residents to obtain a substitute certificate of origin of the ST-2 form for goods originating from the EAEU member states and Serbia that have not been processed, with the exception of operations to ensure the safety of goods and their packaging, as well as preparation for sale and transportation (Article 12 of the Rules).
- In Belarus, the certificate will be issued and certified by the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry on the basis of article 20 of the Law of the Republic of Belarus “On the Chamber of Commerce and Industry”.
The certificate of origin of goods of the ST-2 form will be issued for one batch of goods, its validity period for the purpose of providing a free trade regime will be 12 months from the date of issue.
The presentation of a certificate for the purpose of obtaining preferential tariff treatment is not required when importing small batches of goods whose customs value does not exceed the equivalent of 5,000 euros. In this case, a declaration of origin may be submitted.
