January 28, 2010, the Committee on Budget and Taxes held a "round table": "The Customs Union of Belarus, Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation"

January 28, 2010, the Committee on Budget and Taxes of the State Duma held a "round table" on the topic: "The Customs Union of Belarus, Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation". It was attended by deputies of the State Duma, senior officials of the Federal Customs Service of Russia, the Customs Union Commission, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Industry and Trade, representatives of the media. From the Bar association Customs & Corporate Lawyers (participating company Customs & Corporate Lawyers) attended the event - a lawyer Oksana Kurochkina and Head of Legal Consulting of the Bar association – Irina Vakhterova.

Opened and conducted a "round table" Chairman of the Expert Council on customs regulation of the Committee on Budget and Taxes Nariman Kutlubaev, who, after a brief introduction gave the floor to the Deputy Chairman of the Committee Alexander Kogan.

Introductory remarks to the meeting asked the State Secretary, Deputy Head of the Federal Customs Service of Russia Konstantin Chaika.

A report on the main directions and prospects of integration within the Customs Union has acted the director of the Legal Department of the Commission of the Customs Union Natalia Slusar, described the activities of the Customs Union Commission and its secretariat, their competencies, functions, structure.

During the session was also informed about the prospects for change in the legal framework of customs regulation in the Russian Federation for the effective functioning of the Customs Union, was made a brief review of the draft law "On Customs Regulation in the Russian Federation."

Examined the concept of transfer of customs clearance in places close to the state border of Russia within the Customs Union and the issue of transfer of agreed types of state control on the external borders of the Customs Union.

Participants of the "round table" have paid attention to the problems of customs clearance of goods subject to mandatory conformity veterinary, phytosanitary and sanitary control, and ways to solve them.

The event brought together leading experts in the field of customs regulations, as well as owners and managers of major Russian and foreign companies - participants of foreign economic activity in order to analyze the situation over the formation of a single customs territory of the three states.

For discussion of the audience was handed a number of other pressing issues: competence, functions and structure of the Customs Union Commission; Law "On Customs Regulation in the Russian Federation"; problems of clearance of goods subject to mandatory conformity; principles of levying indirect taxes on exports and imports of goods in the Customs Union.

The Customs Union was welcomed by representatives of business, expect a reduction of non-tariff measures at customs clearance, development of paperless transfer of information, the unification of the Common Customs Tariff of the union, and, ultimately, the simplification of customs procedures. However, January 1, 2010, participants of foreign economic activity faced a number of problems associated with the lack of enforcement of the new customs legislation. Speakers - representatives of the Secretariat of the Commission of the Customs Union, the Federal Customs Service, the Ministry of Finance informed the participants about the establishment of the Customs Union and the national legal framework.

The greatest number of questions to the speech Inna Osipova, Deputy Head of the Legal Support of legislative activities of the FCS of Russia, said that, unfortunately, so far, you can not determine the full scope of all the changes that need to be made to the Russian legislation in connection with the adoption of the Customs Code of the Customs Union. Osipova also noted that the draft law "On Customs Regulation in the Russian Federation", which is being developed by the Federal Customs Service on its own initiative, to include provisions on compulsory prior notification before declaring, introduced a procedure «ex oficio», allowing the customs authorities to suspend for 10 days the release goods bearing the trademarks, there are additional charges and collection of customs duties.

According to a member of the Expert Council on customs regulation Konstantin Kurochkin, resulting in the formation of a new legal framework of the Customs Union and national legislation in the field of customs regulations, all rules should be as close as possible to the norms of international law, at the same time become more transparent and understandable to participants in foreign economic activity and ordinary citizens crossing the borders of the countries members of the union.

Participants of the "round table" have decided to take note of the representatives of federal executive bodies on the formation of the Customs Union of Belarus, Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation and the contractual legal framework of the Customs Union and the Russian Federation. Expert Council on customs regulation of the Committee on Budget and Taxes encouraged to participate in work on amending the legislation of the Russian Federation in connection with the adoption of the Customs Code of the Customs Union.
Customs & Corporate Lawyers Press Service