Brussels, 07/10/2013 (Agence Europe) - Russia is making further demands for additional guarantees from foreign road transporters in new regions and the International Road Transport Union (IRU) is subsequently beginning to lose its patience. Several months ago, the IRU and EU criticised the unilateral decision made by Russia to impose additional demands to the ones already contained in the International Road Transport Convention (TIR).
Although application of these new measures has been postponed and then restricted to just a few regions, road haulage companies going through the Volga region will be subject to these additional guarantees. The entry into force of this stricter customs regime is therefore being gradually applied, following the Far East, Siberian and Urals regions. The IRU points out that this is a breach of international law. Its secretary general, Umberto de Pretto, explained that, “Russian Customs keeps extending its unlawful measures, even on the same day as the UN bodies met to discuss the matter. This flagrant defiance of international law must now stop!” He also indicated that this would have an impact on trade with Russia, the Russian economy and its citizens and that the Russian authorities should therefore, “finalise as soon as possible their consultations, before it is too late for Russian trade and its people”. (MD/transl.fl)