Brussels, 08/10/2013 (Agence Europe) - Vilnius is putting the necessary evidence together for the European Commission to consider an appeal to the WTO against Russian embargos that target Lithuanian hauliers and diary products.
The announcement by the Russian authorities of a blockage on imports of certain Lithuanian dairy products for health reasons from 7 October is making quite a stir. On Monday, Lithuania's President Dalia Grybauskaité described this embargo as the first real challenge for her government in a year.
In Geneva, Lithuanian diplomacy is creating waves at the WTO. As well as the embargo on its dairy products, Lithuania is targeting checks on Lithuanian lorries travelling in Russia - checks that have become stronger since August, and that have caused heavy losses for Lithuanian hauliers.
According to the Lithuanian ambassador to the WTO, Albinas Zananavicius, quoted by the Baltic New Service news agency, the Russian decisions will be discussed at the WTO by the end of October. Vilnius is gathering the necessary evidence for the European Commission to consider an appeal to the WTO. “Some of Lithuania's officials have recently been urging to address the WTO and, of course, we are considering this possibility”, Zananavicius stated. Nevertheless, with a procedure at the WTO being able to take up to two years, “political measures would be taken in the first place so as to speed up the settlement of the dispute”, he said. (EH/transl.fl)