European Parliament approves lifting duties on most Armenian exports

At a plenary session in Strasbourg the European Parliament approved the European Commission's proposal to temporarily suspend customs duties on a wide range of goods from Armenia. 583 MEPs voted in favour, 49 against and 39 abstained.

The duties will be suspended for two years. The package also introduces duty-free quotas for eight categories of Armenian agricultural products, including grapes, apricots, cherries, peaches and cucumbers.

The regulation must be formally approved by the Council of the EU. It will enter into force the day after its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

According to estimates, the measures will cover about 80% of Armenia's exports to EU countries.