Russia stalls EU's complaint to WTO on import duties

10/03/2015 12:00 - 497 Views

If Russia does not solve the dispute with the EUm it will not be able to reject the EU's complaint any longer.

Russia has rejected EU's first request to the Committee on Dispute Resolution of the World Trade Organization (WTO) on the establishment of a panel of arbitrators on the issue of import duties from Russia, reports RIA Novosti citing a source familiar with the situation.

"The first request of the European Union about the creation of a panel to examine the dispute with Russia over fees for certain agricultural and industrial goods has been rejected by the Russian Federation," – says the publication. The second query, which Russia will not be able to reject, may be filed on March 25.

According to the source, the EU invited a WTO panel, since the Russian duties "continue to seriously impede EU's trade" and "have a negative impact on the economy." In addition, tariffs on some goods exceed the previously announced level, which is against the WTO rules.

On October 31, the EU filed a lawsuit against Russia to the WTO on the issue of tariffs on agricultural and industrial products. The EU accuses Russia of inflating rates for several types of goods, including paper, cardboard, palm oil, refrigerators and combined refrigerators and freezers.

According to the WTO rules, Russia has 60 days to resolve the issue in direct talks with the EU. After this period, the EU may appeal to the WTO.

Source: mw.ua