Source: European Parliament
The Commission is aware of the issues raised in the question, and shares the importance of the uniform classification of goods in the Common Customs Tariff, the cornerstone of the Customs Union .
Therefore, as there still are (despite the existing Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/2080) divergent views on the classification of the products at issue (salted and dried tomatoes), the Commission opened a case of divergent classification. The issue was examined at the meeting of the Customs Code committee (25 to 26 March 2025).
The Customs Code Committee that previously voted unanimously on the above Regulation agreed that salting is not a permitted preparation mentioned in the wording of heading 07.12 (‘Dried vegetables, whole, cut, sliced, broken or in powder, but not further prepared’)
The heading covers only dried vegetables, and the drying process does not require the addition of the salt. According to the Explanatory Notes to Chapter 7: ‘Vegetables not presented in a state covered by any heading of this Chapter are classified in […] Section IV. For example, […] vegetables prepared or preserved by any process not provided for in this Chapter fall in Chapter 20’.
The Commission ensured an appropriate re-examination of the case by the Customs Code Committee, taking into consideration all relevant arguments presented by the industry.
The Customs Code Committee confirmed during its meeting, that the products at issue are to be classified in heading 2002 — in line with the above Regulation.