The Act No. 133/2011, of the European Parliament and the EU Council from 13 December, published in the Official Journal of the EU No. L 347, from 30 December 2011, reinstates the autonomous trade measures for the countries with  Stabilization and Association Agreements.

With this Regulation being in act the .traders may claim the right to refund  the duties they paid for the export to the EU in 2011.

This is particularly applied, above all, for the exporters of fruits and vegetables.

By adopting the previously indicated Regulation in Brussels, on 30 December 2011, the European Union has re-established the application of the autonomous trade preferences which it approves for all Western Balkan countries until the end of 2015. This will provide the Western Balkans countries the possibility to continue to use, retroactively, starting from 1 January 2011, the unlimited duty-free regime towards the EU markets for almost all products.  

Together with the bilateral Stabilization and Association Agreements (SAAs), these trade preferences support economic integration with the EU and hence foster political stability and economic progress for all countries of the Western Balkans.  All Western Balkans countries will further benefit from the preferential trade regime, where this is more beneficial than the treatment foreseen in the SAAs.

The procedure of  re-adopting of the preferences (which was in act from 2000 to 2005, when it was renewed from 2005 to 2010) lasted from 22 February 2010, when the European Commission proposed to extend this autonomous preferential regime until 31 December 2015. The European Parliament voted in favour of the Commission's proposal on 13 October 2011 and the Council adopted it on 24 November 2011 and approved the duty  fees reduction on the basis of the new  Rulebook amendments of the Council Regulation No.1215/2009, which was adopted on 30 December 2011, so to allow all  exporters  to claim compensation for the duties paid in 2011.