News
26-07-2012 09:51 Belarus
Revised CU customs tariff to become effective within 30 days
The revised single customs tariff of the Customs Union (CU) shall enter into force in 30 days. The tariff was revised prior to Russia’s accession to the WTO, Chairman of the Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) Viktor Khristenko said as he reported to Russia’s President Vladimir Putin in Sochi on 24 July, BelTA learnt from the Kremlin press service.
According to Viktor Khristenko, the document includes over 1,100 pages and covers more than 11,000 items, and it takes into account all the obligations regarding access for goods from outside countries to the common market that the three partner countries form. He underlined that all regulations that are effective in the Single Economic Space are based on WTO norms. “In this regard we adopt a new package of measures to protect the domestic market of the three states. We are about to create our own administrative structure and we are on schedule,” Viktor Khristenko said.
Vladimir Putin asked Viktor Khristenko how the other CIS member states react to the CU technical regulations and which states would be willing to join the process. “We drafted a special agreement making it possible for the other CIS member states not part of the Customs Union to implement the Customs Union regulations. Russia and Belarus have already completed the formalities and signed this agreement. Kazakhstan is in the middle of completing these procedures. As soon as the trilateral agreement is signed, any CIS member state that joins the agreement will be able to use the technical regulations, standards and the certification base. It will also let them establish the institutions that will certify their products for the compliance with the Customs Union technical regulations,” Viktor Khristenko said. He noted that it is done to facilitate access of the goods from the CIS countries to the Custom Union market.
Viktor Khristenko believes that the Customs Union has gone through the initial stage of development. “We are now operating in a regular mode, gathering pace and building up the volume of work. We have launched all major processes,” the official noted. The head of the EEC underlined that the foreign trade of the three Customs Union member states went up over 10% in January-May 2012 while reciprocal trade between the three countries was up 16% over the same period. Mineral resources are the major commodity item in the foreign trade of the Customs Union member states while in reciprocal trade between the three partner countries these goods, though they account for a large share of 40% are not dominating. Food products also account for a substantial share.
Source: BelTA
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