Strasbourg, 25/10/2007 (Agence Europe) - Has the appeal to the Russian authorities made last week by European Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson (EUROPE 9526) partially worked? On the eve of the EU/Russia Summit in Mafra this Friday, Moscow has tabled a new, improved proposal for its differentiated export tariffs on wood in the rough. This is an issue on which bilateral discussions between Brussels and Moscow have faltered in the context of the negotiations for Russian accession to the WTO. “The Russians have made an offer which goes further than any offer previously made”, Mr Mandelson's spokesperson Peter Power confirmed to Reuters on Wednesday 24 October. “It is still not perfect. We do not expect to have reached a degree of understanding which would allow the issue to be solved in the context of the summit on Friday”, Mr Power added without entering into further detail on the Russian proposal. Since 1 July the differentiated export tariffs on Russian wood have gone from 4 to 10 euros per m³ and are likely to reach 25 euros in April 2008 and then stabilise at 50 euros at the beginning of 2009. Although Russia believes it has a legal right to increase its differentiated export tariffs on wood in the rough before accession to the WTO, Finland, Sweden and Latvia consider this increase to contravene the agreement signed in 2004 between the EU and Russia to facilitate their accession to the WTO. As we have seen (EUROPE 9493), the increase in these tariffs brings with it grave consequences for the forestry industry in the countries of northern Europe, which cite annual imports of 20 million de m³ of Russian wood. (E.H.)