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People can drive Russian cars in France if they have good reason to do so — lawyer

According to Irina Sidorova, it is hard to say exactly what kind of problems the driver of a Russian-plated vehicle could face in France

PARIS, September 14. /TASS/. People can drive cars with Russian license plates in France if they have a solid reason for doing so, Paris-based lawyer Irina Sidorova told TASS.

"If a person needs to, for example, visit a seriously ill relative, customs officials are unlikely to cause problems for him, provided he can back it up with proper evidence. If it is a tourist trip, however, there may be problems," she said.

According to Sidorova, it is hard to say exactly what kind of problems the driver of a Russian-plated vehicle could face in France because there have been no reports of any cases of such cars being seized in the country, as has happened in Germany.

"So far, the judicial pattern in France has not been set," the lawyer said. "But in general, it is better to refrain from traveling around the republic in cars with Russian license plates."

According to the clarifications of the European Commission on September 8, it is prohibited to import from Russia to the EU goods listed in Annex XXI of EU Council Regulation No. 833/2014, regardless of the purpose of their use and the length of stay in the EU, including automobiles with a total number of seats less than 10. The European Commission emphasizes that it does not matter whether the vehicle is used for private or commercial purposes. The list includes a wide range of goods, from mobile phones and audio and video recording devices to suitcases, portfolios, clothing, toothpaste, shampoo and other hygiene products.