25/06/2015 (Agence Europe) - Ukraine's import surcharge taken to WTO General Council. During a meeting of the WTO committee on balance of payment restrictions on Friday 19 June, the WTO member countries adopted their report on the import surcharge imposed by Ukraine to tackle the exceptional conditions affecting its balance of payments. The import surcharge is of 5% for industrial products and 10% for agricultural products. The report reflects the views expressed during consultations on 28 April and 11 June, and will be submitted to the WTO General Council for assessment in July. The consultations did not enable a consensus. While most countries agreed that the exceptional surcharge was in line with WTO rules, Russia criticised the strong impact of the surcharge on its exports to Ukraine and asked Kiev to withdraw the surcharge swiftly (see EUROPE 11335). The General Council could make recommendations. (EH)