The Regional Convention on Pan Euro-Mediterranean preferential rules of Origin

Rules of origin specify how a product must be manufactured to obtain originating status. If a product has originating status, this gives the possibility to obtain reduced or zero customs duty upon import. 

For most free trade agreements within Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa, the rules of origin of the PEM Convention apply. For Norway, this includes the free trade agreements with Switzerland, Iceland, and Liechtenstein (the EFTA-states), the EU, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Egypt, the Faroe Islands, Georgia, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Tunisia, Türkiye, Ukraine, and Palestine. The free trade with Greenland also uses the Convention's rules, but Greenland is not a party to the Convention.  

The PEM convention currently has two set of rules, "the old" which all Contracting Parties can use; and the "revised" rules which are optional for some Contracting Parties.

• Read more here about what is required for your product to obtain originating status under the old rules
• Read more here about what is required for your product to obtain originating status under the revised rules

More about the revised rules

All parties to the PEM Convention voted on 7 December 2023, to replace the old rules with the revised rules. The decision means that the old rules will be phased out after a transition period, whereafter only the revised rules will apply to all Parties to the Convention and their free trade agreements. The revised rules mostly entail simplifications for businesses compared to the old rules. 

The decision of 7 December 2023 implies that the revised Convention will enter into force on 1 January 2025. However, due to delays in several Contracting Parties, the move to the revised rules will not be implementet for all Parties at the same time. The new target date for full implementation is foreseen to be 1 January 2026, with a transition period throughout 2025 where the old rules will still exist alongside the rules of the revised Convention. 

The revised rules and the use of proofs of origin

Some of Norway's free trade agreements already allow for the use of the revised rules as alternative rules (see below for an overview). If you want to use a free trade agreement with the revised rules, "transitional rules" must be indicated in box 7 on the EUR.1 Certificate. You cannot use the EUR-MED certificate under the revised rules.

If you use a statement of origin, it should have the following text: 

“The exporter of the products covered by this document (customs authorization No………) declares that, except where otherwise clearly indicated, these products are of ……………..  preferential origin according to the transitional Rules of origin." 

After 1 January, 2025, you will have to indicate "revised rules" in box 7 on the EUR.1 certificate (insted of "transitional rules"). 

A declaration of origin should from the same date have the following text: "The exporter of the products covered by this document (customs authorization No………) declares that, except where otherwise clearly indicated, these products are of ……………..  preferential origin according to the revised Rules of origin."

Electronic certificates of origin

All Contracting Parties to the Convention adopted a recommendation in December 2023 to accept electronically issued certificates of origin, also under the old rules. The Norwegian solution for an electronic EUR.1 certificate is described in the overview of notifications linked to below.

• See the adopted recommendation here
• Overview of notifications
• Read more here about the Norwegian electronic EUR.1 certificate

Specific rules of origin for certain industrial products

The revised rules contain alternative processing rules for certain industrial products in HS Chapters 27-40. These rules require manufacturing using some specific processes and operations, including chemical reaction. Under the revised rules of origin, you can use these specific processing rules to obtain originating status for a covered product. 

• Read more about these specific rules of origin under notes 8 and 9 to the list rules

Export of fish under the revised rules

Norwegian exporters of fish will benefit from using the revised rules, as the crew requirements have been removed. The EEA agreement, the bilateral quotas under the EC-Norway and compensation agreements can use the revised rules. See below for an overview of all agreements where the revised rules can be used.

Please note that the Fisheries Letter (trade with the EU) does not allow for the use of the revised rules and still contains rules of origin with crew requirements.  

Overview of Norway's free trade agreements with revised rules

Relevant links and attachments

The old rules

• The Convention with rules of origin, list rules and proofs of origin
• Explanatory notes from the EU Commission

The revised rules

• Revised rules of origin with attachments
• Background and guidance from the EU Commission