The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (DETE) is currently inviting manufacturers from the agricultural, industrial and related sectors to apply for a new round of the EU tariff suspension and quota system.

The tariff suspension system offers these companies the opportunity to import raw materials, components or intermediate products from outside the European Union duty-free.

This regulation applies provided that the item cannot be obtained in the EU or Turkey.

The tariff quota system is intended to address bottlenecks in the availability of important raw materials within the EU and can be applied for in the same way as tariff suspensions.

Tariff suspension

The ministry explained that when applying for a tariff suspension, companies must demonstrate that for each item for which a tariff suspension is requested,

  • is intended for further processing by them;
  • is not available within the EU;
  • a customs saving of at least EUR 15,000 per year (if an applicant company does not reach this minimum limit on its own, a merger with one or more other companies is possible).

Minister for Trade Promotion, Digital and Business Regulation Dara Calleary said this was the last of two tenders this year, with the next one being on January 1, 2025.

“The tariff suspension and quota arrangements represent a very effective way for Irish manufacturers to gain a competitive advantage by reducing the cost of sourcing components that are not available in the EU.

“I would encourage all Irish manufacturers to take advantage of these programs,” the minister said.

The application deadline for the program is Wednesday, July 31, 2024, 5:30 p.m.

The Ministry points out that late or incomplete applications will not be considered.

The suspension of tariffs on these applications, if successful, will take effect from 1 July 2025.