EU’s unilateral preferential arrangements – managing tariff change

With Regulation (EU) 2025/1909, the European Commission has updated the list of countries and product sections for which certain GSP (Generalised Scheme of Preferences) tariff preferences are suspended for the period 2026–2028. 

These suspensions result from exports exceeding the thresholds to the EU during 2021–2023 and concern: India – 10 sections, including chemicals, rubber, metals, textiles, and mechanical products; Indonesia – agricultural, mineral, and wood products; Kenya – floriculture sector.

The affected products no longer benefit from GSP preferential duty rates and are instead subject to the MFN (Most Favoured Nation) duty under the EU Common Customs Tariff.  This measure aims to rebalance the system and will reshape supply chains for European operators.

The roundtable explores the EU’s unilateral preferential arrangements, the effects of tariff changes on supply chains, and strategies companies use to adapt.

Kevin Holzke

• An overview of the EU’s preferential arrangements
• Unilateral EU preferential arrangements
• Changes to the GSP driven by the European Commission
• Legislative process and timing
• How companies manage changes

Annette Reiser

• Practical insights

Speakers

Kevin Holzke
Director Tax and Export Control at AWB Consulting GmbH, Germany

Kevin Holzke is the Director of Tax and Export Control at AWB Consulting GmbH, where he advises on complex customs, export control, and compliance matters. With a career spanning both public service and the automotive industry, he began as a Customs Officer with the German Customs Authority before moving to BMW AG, where he held various customs roles, including Head of Preferential Origin. In this capacity, he led major projects such as implementing optimized origin processes and IT systems, including those required in response to Brexit. A respected trainer on customs law and former ACEA representative in the EU Customs Expert Group, Kevin Holzke combines deep regulatory expertise with hands-on industry experience to deliver practical, strategic solutions in global trade compliance.

Annette Reiser
Attorney at Law, Customs and Trade Compliance at nettes`globaltrade, Germany, Switzerland

Annette Reiser has more than 20 years of experience in customs and trade compliance. After her second law degree in Germany she started her career at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Mannheim, Germany followed by various leading positions in international companies of the automotive, defense, non-woven and pharmaceutical industry in Germany and Switzerland. She also spent several years as Senior Manager Indirect Taxes at KPMG and EY Switzerland. In 2021, she started her freelance business nettes`globaltrade as a coach, lecturer and author in Zurich, Switzerland specialized in Free Trade Agreements and Export Control.She is the founder of the Swiss Global Trade Expert Group and Editor of the Swiss Journal “Zoll und Mehrwertsteuer Revue”. Annette Reiser is a lecturer at the Kalaidos University, Switzerland, the Swiss School of International Business and the AWA Suisse.

Moderator

Enrika Naujoke
CEO of CustomsClear, Lithuania

Enrika Naujoke is CEO of CustomsClear, the European customs and trade knowledge platform (www.customsclear.net), which serves as a trusted resource for practitioners and experts to navigate the complexities of customs compliance and trade, leveraging the latest in technology and AI to make regulatory knowledge more accessible and actionable.

About customs roundtables

Customs is a complex area and it’s difficult to stay up to date with all the latest developments.

Customs roundtables are designed for the customs community to come together and exchange views regarding various areas of customs. This can be either specific cases and questions or wider industry trends. The discussions will go into technical details and will allow participants to learn from peers and exchange views and experiences. It’s an excellent opportunity to have an open discussion on some of the most pressing customs issues. We aim to create an open and supportive live forum that also offers the facility to continue discussions online.

We welcome customs experts and experts-to-be in all areas of customs (origin, valuation, special procedures etc) and from all backgrounds (legal, in-house, academic, consulting etc).

Register to the customs roundtables by signing up for a Membership Plan and get access to the CustomsClear Customs Practitioners’ Forum.

Interested in the topic? Join the roundtable!

You have a few options to gain access to this event:

• Participants of the Customs Clearance and Trade Compliance in the EU course have free access to the event.
• Everyone who has acquired one of the Essential/Individual/Team membership plans has access to the sessions.
• None of the above but you want to join? Invest 49 EUR (excluding VAT) to attend the session.

Contact us

If you need further information or have any questions, please feel free to contact us at info@customsclear.net