E-Malt.com News article: 720

Beer trade between Russia and Byelorussia is entering a next round of opposing owing to the Byelorussian government, beer-union.com reported. On 19 February the Byelorussian Council of Ministers has approved resolution No. 208 Regulation of Imports and sales in the Byelorussian Republic of Malt Beer Originated in the Customs Union Member-States That Enjoy Customs-Free Procedures. Such a long resolution title implies the only one country, which is Russia. The resolution is against the Russian imports. The CIS countries (that are Members to the Customs Union) that are capable of beer importation to Byelorussia Russia is the only state that enjoys customs-free procedures.

Interestingly, when the resolution was approved. Let us remind that in the end of January during the president-to-president talks the issue of elimination of Russian beer import restrictions was raised. The presidents agreed on the general understanding of the problem and came up with necessity to find the soonest solution. On 31 January the Russian Federation Government has forwarded a letter signed by the Deputy Prime Minister V. Khristenko addressed to Belorussian Prime Minister Novitsky. The letter proposes elimination of the Russian beer import restrictions. In a sense the resolution is a response to the Russian Government and top officials on the issued raised in connection with Belorussia violating the international treaties.

As regards the regulation of beer importation and trade in Belorussia, as stipulated in the resolution, the latter implies even severer restrictions imposed on the Russian beer. In addition to the restrictions made effective as from 23.09.2002 by the Belorussian Council of Ministers resolution No 1143, which after all implies obtaining a license cost 10,700 USD for a minimum beer lot of 10,000 decalitres, and advance fee of 30% of the tanks’ cost as a guarantee for its exportation (utilization), and Belorussian excise of 0.04 Euro while the excise paid in Russia is not accounted (the Russian-imposed excise is not accounted as from 01 June 2001), the below listed supplementary restrictions are made effective:
- obtaining of control marks from the Taxation Ministry after the excise pre-payment (the control marks are charged separately and the fee is yet to be determined). Procedures for manufacture and obtaining of marks is to be approved by the Belorussian Finance Ministry upon agreement with the Russian Taxation Ministry:

- beer shall only be imported via customs warehouses as approved by the Taxation Ministry;
- for wholesale purpose the beer shall only be imported against the bills of lading with sufficient additional protection.

In practice these restrictions are far much tighter compared to the restrictions made effective for beer imports from the countries that enjoy customs procedures with Belorussia. Such actions by the Belorussian in relation to the Russian beer, which the government claims to protect domestic brewing sector, in fact target getting extra revenues from the Russian brewers paying taxes to the Belorussian budget.


04 March, 2003