According to the Russian Brewers' Union, the Russian government has asked Belarus authorities to lift restrictions on beer imports, which are in violation of the free custom zone introduced by the two countries in 1996, according to which one-side restrictions on import are forbidden.

Various quotas, licences and excise duties effectively add 30% to the price of imported Russian beer in Belarus, while the introduction of further restrictions is expected in March. Russia does not levy any complementary tariffs or restrictions.

The Belarus government had supposedly introduced the restrictions in order to encourage Russian brewers to invest in the local brewing industry. Ironically, however, official obstacles and conflicts with authorities have hindered these developments, such as the investment by Baltika, which was forced to halt its development of a brewery in Belarus in 2001.

06 February, 2003