MOSCOW, July 6. /TASS/. Russia proposed to set quotas for "risk group" goods from Ukraine if Kiev implements the agreement on association with EU, First Deputy Economic Development Minister Alexey Likhachev said in an interview with TASS.
"In my opinion, we have proposed the most harmless solution. As we speak about the risk that Ukrainian goods can be driven out by the EU goods due to dumping prices, we proposed to set quotas on goods from this "risk group" taking into account their maximum export to Russia in recent years," he said.
He added that only those volumes of goods which exceed quotas will be subject to duties and this measure does not contradict the norms of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
Likhachev said that last week Russia sent to Brussels its proposals for a possible agreement between Russia, Ukraine and the European Union to lift the concerns of the Russian Federation in connection with the implementation of the Association Agreement EU-Ukraine.
So far, according to unofficial sources, Russia's proposals are considered tough in Brussels, limiting the possibility of Ukraine's participation in the agreement with the EU. "This week we will learn the official position of the European Union, but so far, according to our data, there yet is no movement towards Russia on the part of European experts, according to our information," Likhachev said.
According to him, another tripartite expert meeting at the level of departments’ heads will be held on July 7-8. There will be consultations on customs issues, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, technical regulation, liberalization of tariffs and on general macroeconomic approach.
"The main critical conversation will be held in September at the level of Ministers. We will try to find a common ground," Likhachev said.
Likhachev also said that the Russia’s proposal on regulatory system suggests combining on the parallel basis the technical regulations of CIS and the regulations of the European Union, which from January 1, 2016 will unconditionally begin to spread to Ukraine.
"We need to allow some time, within 10 years, to apply the technical regulations of both the EU and the CIS. That is, allow the Ukrainians to work with the European customs according to the Brussels rules, and with Russia - on the same trust mechanisms that were already worked out between Russian and Ukrainian customs services," Likhachev said.
It is also necessary to consolidate the agreements of the Russian and Ukraininan phytosanitary services for a sufficiently long period so that the Russian producers do not have to be certified again for the deliveries of agricultural products, Likhachev added.
"All this is in the interests of Ukraine in the first place. But also in ours, of course, because it is also important for us to deliver the goods to Ukraine according to the regulations that we understand," Likhachev said.