New Russian Customs Rules Threaten Trade, Transport, Say CLECAT, FIATA
Russian customs authorities should find a solution to the on-going conflict on the TIR System on the Russian territory, said the European and international Freight Forwarders associations CLECAT and FIATA, citing possible disruption to trade with Russia.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Export Compliance Daily combines U.S. export control news, foreign border import regulation and policy developments into a single daily information service that reliably informs its trade professional readers about important current issues affecting their operations.
The Russian Federal Customs service recently said it will terminate its agreement with the national guaranteeing association effective Dec. 1, which CLECAT and FIATA said has seriously aggravated the situation. The 1975 TIR Convention on international road transport can't be applied in a territory which is not covered by a national guaranteeing association, which is the Association of International Road Transport Carriers in Russia (ASMAP). The Russian Federal Customs service said it took the step due to the outstanding debts of ASMAP. "Regrettably, the Federal Customs Service of the Russian Federation made the decision without prior notification or consultation, neither with the respective TIR stakeholders nor with the United Nations TIR bodies nor the UNECE," said CLECAT and FIATA.
FIATA and CLECAT said an interruption of the TIR system will most likely lead to a serious disruption of trade flows to and from Russia because of congestion at the borders, unnecessary waiting times and an increase of transport costs. FIATA and CLECAT urged the parties to return to the negotiating table and find a "wise and pragmatic solution to resolve the issues in accordance with the provisions of the TIR Convention."