MOSCOW, 13 June (BelTA) – The Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission will continue discussing the situation around Belarusian dairy export to Russia next week, representatives of the Eurasian Economic Commission told BelTA.
“The matter was discussed in an extraordinary manner today. The discussion was rather lengthy. It was decided that the discussion will continue during the next session of the Eurasian Economic Commission Board one week later,” said the source.
According to the Eurasian Economic Commission press service, representatives of authorized government agencies of the Eurasian Economic Union member states took part in the discussion of the situation caused by the decision of the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance of Russia (Rosselkhoznadzor) to ban the import of certain kinds of dairy products made in Belarus. The draft resolution of the Eurasian Economic Commission Board will be polished and discussed at the session of the Board, said the source.
Earlier Sergei Sidorsky, Member of the Board (Minister) for Industry and Agribusiness Complex of the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC), stated that in order to prevent unjustified decisions in favor of restricting trade not only in dairy products but other kinds of merchandise, too it is necessary to develop the legal means to give the relevant authority to the Eurasian Economic Commission. With a view to advancing integration and removing unjustified trade barriers it is vital to transfer the authority to make decisions on prohibiting and restricting trade inside the union to the supranational level. If it is done, the commission will be able to receive the necessary documents from the contending parties and may introduce temporary restrictions on products of individual companies while retaining the right to arrange consultations with the parties without suspending production processes. The ban on mutual trade can be introduced only in exceptional cases and only upon the commission's authority then. Such an approach can enable transparent interaction between the authorized government agencies of the sides and the Eurasian Economic Commission. If unsafe products are detected, a faster response will be made on justified grounds in addition to protecting rights of bona fide producers.
BelTA reported earlier that the Russian food quality watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor prohibited the import of several kinds of Belarusian dairy products in containers of over 2.5 liters as of 6 June. On 9 June the Russian agency and the Veterinary and Food Oversight Department of the Belarusian Agriculture and Food Ministry signed a roadmap designed to remove mutual restrictions on trade in dairy products in 2018.
