MOSCOW, 25 March (BelTA) - The Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission made a decision to ban the export of goods needed to combat the spread of the new coronavirus outside the Eurasian Economic Union at an extraordinary meeting in Moscow on 25 March, Andrei Slepnev, Member of the Board (Minister) for Trade of the Eurasian Economic Commission, told the media, BelTA has learned.
Andrei Slepnev noted that the meeting discussed the collective response to the spread of coronavirus infection. “The EEC has decided to ban the export of a wide range of protection goods outside the EAEU as we need to have reliable stocks across such goods as masks, glasses, individual suits for doctors and other items and to avoid excessive export of such goods outside the EAEU,” he said.
According to the EEC minister, the parties also discussed the decisions that the EAEU member states had taken to limit the export of medical protective gear. “An agreement has been reached to conduct consultations to address issues related to deficits in other countries, and also mutual supplies and humanitarian aid. This decision was an issue of long discussions, and finally a consensus has been reached on it,” he said.
According to Andrei Slepnev, the EEC decision on the duty-free import of medical protective gear and medical supplies to the EAEU to help its member states combat the infection has already taken effect. “The decision envisages zero customs duties on a wide lineup of the corresponding products to improve their availability for the healthcare services,” he said.
The meeting of the EEC Council chaired by Belarus' Vice Premier Igor Petrishenko was held in the format of a videoconference.
