The Philippines is one of the beneficiary countries of the European Union’s Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus or GSP+ that grants zero tariffs to 6,274 product lines. These products include particular items of fish, dairy, fruits, vegetables, coconut oils, coffee, cocoa, tobacco, chemicals, fertilizers, essential oils, soaps, articles of plastics and rubber, articles of wood and leather, apparels, footwear and headgears, ceramic products, glass and glassware, pearls, fine and costume jewelry, furniture, auto and aero parts, ships and boats, electronics and semiconductors, watches and other manufactured articles.
Philippine exporters who wish to avail themselves of EU GSP+ zero tariff benefits must preregister now with the EU Registered Exporters (REX) System until December 31, 2019.
Exporters may now fill up the application form available online at https://customs.ec.europa.eu/rex-pa-ui/and the printed copy submitted to Gina German of the Export Coordinating Division of the Philippine Bureau of Customs (BOC) with e-mail address gina.german@customs.gov.ph and telephone number 527-4580. Exporters in the regions can also contact BOC regional officers for assistance.
If the application is approved, the BOC will register and assign a REX number to the exporter with the registration and validity date. Once registered, the exporter will now be able to issue their own statement on origin on their commercial documents. The registration is a one-time operation that will replace the old system of issuance of Certificate of Origin Form A. The EU REX System is expected to make exporting to the EU faster and easier.
In an effort to inform Philippine exporters of the EU REX System, EMB held an information session on August 20, 2019, at the Rosemary Ballroom of the City Garden Grand Hotel in Makati City with Christophe Fontaine of EU’s directorate general taxud as the main resource speaker. He was joined by Anne-Marie Michels and Francois Becquart, also from the EU customs office, and Maria Teresa Borja of the Philippine Trade and Investment Office in Brussels, Belgium, as resource persons on EU’s rules of origin.
Undersecretary Abdulgani M. Macatoman of the Trade Promotions Group of the Department of Trade and Industry delivered the welcome remarks. He encouraged Philippine exporters to learn the rudiments of the EU REX System and continue to take advantage of the EU GSP+ trade preference.
In 2018, EU was the Philippines’s fifth trading partner, export market and import source. Total bilateral trade was valued at $17.49 billion, with exports at $ 8.91 billion and imports at $8.59 billion. Total PH-EU trade from 2014 to 2018, grew at an average 5.10 percent; exports by 7.32 percent and imports by 3.02 percent.
The top Philippine exports to the EU on the industrial side were semiconductor and electronic products, vessels for transport and aero parts. On the other hand, top Philippine food exports to the EU were tunas, desiccated coconuts, prepared pineapples and pineapple juice, biscuits and pastries and sardines.
For more information, contact Ms. Maria Jaena Go-Aco of the Export Marketing Bureau (EMB) at e-mail address MariaJaenaGoAco@dti.gov.ph and telephone number 4653300 local 228.