The revised PEM Convention has entered into force on 1 January 2025. The transitional rules (see below) are no longer applicable from this date and are replaced by the rules of origin of the revised PEM Convention.
Numerous free trade agreements (FTAs) in the PEM zone do not yet contain a dynamic reference to the PEM Convention, which means that the old rules continue to apply to these FTAs even after 1 January 2025. Since diagonal cumulation in the PEM zone is based on the principle of identical rules of origin, this would have negative consequences for existing cumulation. On 12 December 2024, the contracting parties therefore adopted transitional provisions that provide for the following key points:
• The rules of origin of the old PEM Convention can continue to be
applied until 31 December 2025. Until that date, all FTAs in the zone
should refer to the PEM Convention with a dynamic reference.
• Permeability is introduced. This simplifies the application of the revised
rules by allowing cumulation even if the supplier has issued a proof of
origin based on the old rules. In the agricultural sector, permeability
only applies to goods of HS chapters 1 and 3 and to fishery products of
HS chapter 16.
• Proofs of origin issued on the basis of the revised rules must be marked
‘Revised Rules’.
The rules of origin of the revised PEM Convention are already applicable under the following Swiss / EFTA FTAs:
- Switzerland – EU (CR)
- EFTA - Convention (CR)
- EFTA - Georgia (CR)
- EFTA - Turkiye (CR)
- EFTA - Albania (CR)
- EFTA - Montenegro (CR)
- EFTA - North Macedonia (CR)
- EFTA - Serbia (CR)
- EFTA - Bosnia and Herzegovina (CR)
For the FTAs marked above or in the Matrix with an ‘R’, only the rules of origin of the revised PEM Convention apply. For FTAs marked with a ‘CR’, the rules of origin of the revised PEM Convention and the transitional provisions are applicable (parallel application of the old rules of origin of the PEM Convention until 31 December 2025 and permeability from the old to the revised rules).
The Switzerland / EFTA FTAs in the context of the PEM system which are not listed here should be adapted in the course of 2025.
Further information on the adoption of the revised PEM Convention and the tran-sitional provisions can be found here .
- Information note for the business community (content available only in German, French or Italian)
- R-30 Free trade agreements, preferential tariffs and origin of goods (content available only in German (PDF, 214 kB, 01.04.2025), French (PDF, 215 kB, 01.04.2025) or Italian (PDF, 214 kB, 01.04.2025))
- Zirkular (content available only in German, French or Italian)
- Overview of free trade agreements for industrial products (content available only in German (PDF, 142 kB, 01.04.2025), French (PDF, 142 kB, 01.04.2025) or Italian (PDF, 142 kB, 01.04.2025))
- Merkblatt «Lieferantenerklärungen im Inland» (content available only in German (PDF, 200 kB, 27.11.2024), French (PDF, 238 kB, 27.11.2024) or Italian (PDF, 236 kB, 27.11.2024))
