Armenia has adopted new regulations simplifying imports from several third countries, while prohibiting their re-export to Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) member states.

According to a government decision, goods imported from European Union countries, Switzerland, Norway, South Korea, the U.S., Japan, and the United Kingdom will now enter Armenia under simplified procedures. These products may be exempt from certification under EAEU standards, provided documents confirm their compliance with Armenia's and the EAEU’s permissible limits on harmful substances, reports Sputnik Armenia.

Regulatory authorities, upon receiving the required documents, will be limited to merely verifying them. The same procedure will apply to products from other countries if they are certified by laboratories accredited under the ILAC international agreement.

However, products imported under this simplified regime cannot be re-exported to EAEU countries unless they obtain an EAEU conformity certificate.

Armenia’s Ministry of Economy had earlier warned that this regulation may reduce the number of laboratory testing applications, potentially leading to the closure of smaller labs and the consolidation of market power among larger players.

The ministry also noted that the lack of duplicate inspections at borders could weaken post-transport quality control.