April 24, 2024

Athens News

News in English from Greece

Audacity second happiness!

As incredible as it may sound, the EU has filed a complaint with the WTO against Russia for the fact that since 2014 it has become too active in carrying out an import substitution program.

The amount of the claim is not sickly € 290 billion! Earlier, just a couple of days ago, American partners made a similar claim to Russia. True, they have not yet materialized it in the form of a complaint to the WTO.

The essence of the claims is that Russia has implemented measures that “seriously infringe on the interests of EU companies in the sale of goods and services to Russian state-owned companies.” As the saying goes, “and what for us ?!”

The EU disputes three Russian measures:

Discriminatory evaluation of procurement bids: During the evaluation phase of their purchases, some government-related entities deduct 15% (up to 30% for certain goods) from the offered price of domestic goods or services. If then an application with goods or services of a Russian organization is selected, then the full price will still be paid afterwards. Pre-Permit Requirements: Russian companies wishing to purchase certain engineering products abroad require permission from the Russian Import Substitution Commission. This permit appears to be granted on an arbitrary basis and is not required for the purchase of domestic engineering products. Requirements for national procurement quotas: of almost 250 goods, including vehicles, equipment, medical and textile products, up to 90% must be domestic.

In this regard, the EU asks the WTO to establish a dispute settlement commission.

Well, that is, according to the logic of Western partners, Russia, after receiving a package of sanctions and the threat of their expansion, at any moment was obliged not to take any measures in response, but to humbly fold its legs and quietly sit on the sidelines on a chair, thinking about its bad behavior. At the same time, the Western partners themselves would decide which sectors of the Russian economy to work, and which ones to self-cut as unnecessary. Well, everything is like under Yeltsin and Chubais in the crazy 90s.

What the US is complaining about

In late December, the United States also complained about Russia to the WTO. The reason is the same – the policy of import substitution, which, according to Washington, violates fair competition in the market.

US Trade Representative Catherine Tai accused Russia of not complying with the basic rules of the World Trade Organization. Tai pointed out that by its actions, Russia is putting American entrepreneurs in an economically disadvantageous environment compared to Russian manufacturers.

The trade representative, in particular, noted that Moscow maintains restrictions on imports in the agricultural sector and refuses to recognize guarantees from other countries regarding export capacities. Tai also rebuked the Russian authorities for expanding state control over the economy and tightening restrictions on trade.

But what about the “deadly sanctions” imposed by the United States against Russia? No, we don’t know …

Interestingly, Greece also has the audacity to subscribe to these claims? After all, Hellas lost, as it were, no more than others in relation to the country’s GDP.

Back in 2014-2015, we wrote about huge losses in agriculture in Greece, focused on Russia, after the Russian Federation imposed an embargo on the supply of Greek fruits, in response to the fact that our country joined the sanctions against Russia.

Greece tried to find other marketsby trying in turn Saudi Arabia and China, but this did not bring much result. The United States, as is customary for “best friends” satellites, has imposed restrictive sanctions on many Greek products (this is another ™), doubling duties





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