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WTO says Russia’s antidumping duties on light commercial vehicles inconsistent with rules

MOSCOW, January 27. /TASS/. The WTO arbitration panel ruled that Russian antidumping duties on light commercial vehicles (LCV) from the European Union violate the Organization’s rules, EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstr·m said on Friday.

The panel ruled that Russia failed to observe a number of WTO rules when introducing the anti-dumping duties in 2013, which range from 23% to nearly 30% and affect exports of Italian and German vehicles.

"The duties on light commercial vehicles are not in line with commitments by Russia at the time it joined the WTO. Those measures now have to be removed. I hope to see Russia honoring its international obligations and respecting this ruling without delay," said EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstr·m.

According to WTO rules, Russia now has 60 days to file an appeal against the panel’s decision.

The EU filed an action to the WTO against Russian antidumping duties on light commercial vehicles in May 2014. The action was the EU’s third one against Russia after it joints the organization in 2012. The first investigation was initiated in respect of scrap duty on cars assembled abroad.

Russia imposed antidumping duties on light commercial vehicles produced by Turkey, Italy and Germany in 2013. Duties cover vans with engine capacity up to 3 liters and weight from 2.8 to 3.5 tonnes, intended to carry goods with the weight up to 2 tonnes or for combined carriage of passengers and freight.

Antidumping duties were introduced not merely by Russia but at the level of the Eurasian Economic Union (Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan).