Eksportkvoter

Eksportkvoter are government-imposed limits on the volume of a specific good that may be exported from a country within a defined period. They are a form of trade policy tool used to regulate outflows of certain commodities, with aims such as protecting domestic supply, stabilizing prices, ensuring resource security, or influencing exchange earnings.

A quota typically works together with licensing. A regulatory body sets a maximum export quantity and issues licenses up to that limit. Once the quota is exhausted, further exports may be restricted or prohibited. Quotas can be fixed for a set timeframe or adjusted in response to market conditions, and allocation methods vary, including auction, licensing, or distribution according to historical shares or sector needs.

Impacts of export quotas are varied. They can raise domestic availability and prices for protected goods, support domestic producers, and reduce volatility in local markets. However, they may reduce export revenues, invite retaliation or discriminatory treatment in trade, encourage smuggling or evasion, and create distortions in related industries or supply chains. The net effect depends on the design of the quota, its scope, and accompanying policies.

Internationally, export quotas are subject to World Trade Organization rules, which generally permit export restrictions under certain conditions but require compliance with nondiscrimination and emergency safeguard provisions. They are more common for strategic or scarce resources, such as agricultural products, timber, fish, minerals, and energy.

See also: export licensing, export taxes, trade policy, quotas.