The EU decides to temporarily exempt medical supplies and personal protective equipment from customs duties and VAT

To combat the COVID-19 epidemic, the European Commission decided on the 3rd to temporarily exempt tariffs and value-added tax on medical supplies and personal protective equipment imported from outside the EU. This will help reduce the price of urgently needed supplies such as masks and ventilators entering the EU market. The European Commission said that the effective date of this decision will be retroactive to January 30, for an initial period of six months, and may be extended in the future.