Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: Ministry of Economic Development (Russia) – Ministry of Economic Development (Russia) –
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At a plenary session on Tuesday, July 22, the State Duma supported the ratification of the protocol on amendments to the Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union, which provides for the creation of a special mechanism for conducting investigations and making decisions on the application or non-application of special protective, anti-dumping and compensatory measures. The protocol was signed on December 26, 2024 and submitted for consideration to the lower house of parliament by the President of the Russian Federation.
Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation Vladimir Ilyichev reminded in his report that the said measures are intended to protect the Union's producers from unfair (dumping or subsidized) or sharply increased imports from third countries. These measures are applied in the form of duties on imported goods. "Considering that in the EAEU, production is mainly concentrated in Russia, these measures are an important tool for domestic producers, allowing them to compete on fair terms," he said.
At the same time, Russia’s partners in the EAEU, who do not have their own production and who are interested in cheap imports, do not always support initiatives to introduce measures and can block a protective measure using the right of veto, the deputy minister stated.
The current version of the Union Treaty does not contain a procedure for exiting the situation with the blocking of a protective measure. A "veto" imposed by one of the Union partners on a decision to introduce a protective measure may be in effect indefinitely. While the measure is blocked, imports from third countries continue to cause damage to Union producers, including Russian businesses.
“The amendments to the Treaty on the Union, developed at the initiative of the Russian side, establish a procedure for exiting the situation with the ‘vetting’ of protective measures with the participation of the Intergovernmental Council and the Court of the Union, as well as a time limit for it,” Vladimir Ilyichev emphasized.
The first stage of the procedure will be the consideration of the blocked measure at two meetings of the Intergovernmental Council. If an agreement is reached, no further continuation of the procedure is required, and the protective measure comes into force. At the second stage, the Commission transfers the consideration to the Court of the Union. This body, as an arbitrator, must assess whether the decision is balanced – whether the interests of both producers and consumers, who may also suffer damage from the introduction of the protective measure, are satisfied. If, after the Court of the Union, the member state does not agree with the introduction of the measure, the issue is brought to the level of the Supreme Council of the EAEU. This mechanism will be in effect for 2 years with automatic extension for subsequent two-year periods (if there are no objections from the parties).
“The set of changes provided for by the Protocol will ensure legal certainty in the issue of exiting the veto situation, speed up the decision-making process on the application of a protective measure and, accordingly, strengthen the protection of our producers from unfair or sharply increased imports,” concluded the Deputy Head of the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia.
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