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Europeans Make Nice over WTO
A two-day visit by European Union Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson to Moscow has brought unexpectedly positive results in WTO negotiations. Although he previously promised to spend “45 minutes” on the topic, he told Kommersant at the end of his trip that all issues surrounding Russia's accession to the organization should be settled in two or three months.
Mandelson's itinerary was full in the Russian capital. On the first day of his visit, he met with presidential aide Igor Shuvalov and chairman of the State Duma Foreign Affairs Committee Konstantin Kosachev. Then he met with Russian bankers and Finance Minister Alexey Kudrin. On the second day, that is, yesterday, Mandelson met with members of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs and the European Business Association and with Minister of Economic Development and Trade German Gref.
Among the EU's demands on Russia in relation to the WTO are questions of sanitary standards, alcohol sales licensing and customs control. The EU is also demanding an end to discrimination in railroad fees and limitations in the pharmaceuticals market. Issues that have arisen since Russia signed its bilateral protocol with the United States include new antidumping investigations and lumber duties.
Mandelson's promises have an obvious political aspect. During EU-Russia WTO consultations in Washington last week, a U.S. Trade Representative's Office spokesman pointed out that Russia was procrastinating addressing the disputed issues with the EU. That situation is unlikely to have changed radically in a week.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Mar. 28, 2007
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