PANEUROMED area: Which proof to use preferential origin in 2025?
The year 2025 marks the last phase of transition to fully harmonised rules of origin within the PANEUROMED area. On 31 March 2025, customs issued a note to operators supplementing the update of the EU matrix and clarifying the management of evidence of origin.
On Monday 31 March, Customs published theNote to operators n°25000103on the application of the PANEUROMED Convention. This note provides an update on the situation of the individual acceding countries with regard to the rules of origin adopted and provides an understanding of thepublished matrixby the European Commission in the Official Journal of the EU on 20 March 2025.
It should be noted that the objective of modernisation is to simplify procedures between the Contracting Parties and to improve the competitiveness of the region by applying cumulation of origin between the Contracting Parties.
In this context, the proof of origin is also streamlined: only the EUR.1 certificate (or its dematerialised version, Declaration of Origin on Billure – DOF) will now be used.
The latest matrix published by the European Commission details the version of the rules applied by each country. In particular, it notes thatTunisia now applies modernised rules.
Three cases are distinguished for the application of cumulation and the choice of proof of origin to be used:
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Transitional rules (« T »): refer to countries which still follow the transitional provisions introduced in 2021, using EUR.1 or DFO with the mention« revised rules ». French Customs states that the expression« Transitional rules »may still be employed in 2025. Tunisia belongs to this category.
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2012 Rules (« C »)These include countries that continue to apply the classic 2012 basic convention such as Morocco, Algeria or Egypt.
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Revised rules (« R »): Countries that have fully adopted the late 2024 reform no longer require specific mention on EUR.1 or the DFO regarding the version of the rules applied. This is the case for the Balkan countries and the European Union.
In view of the current complexity of the matrix and field applications, Customs insists that thetolerance shall be applied until 31 December 2025for the particulars relating to the rules of origin used and invites operators to consult theFAQon the page dedicated to the PANEUROMED area.
Moreover, for trade still covered by the 2012 rules, EUR-MED will remain accepted by the Contracting Parties until the end of 2025.
DGDI – EU