On May 23, Minsk / Ekaterina Nechaeva - BELTA /. Belarus maintains its intention to increase, from July 1, 2011, the rates of import customs duties on passenger cars supplied by individuals to the level of the current rates in Russia. This was stated today by First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Igor Petrishenko at a meeting of the Standing Commission of the House of Representatives on International Affairs and CIS Relations, as reported by BELTA correspondent. Answering a question from deputy Vladimir Kuzhanov about whether rumors about Belarus's intention not to raise car customs duties from July 1 have any basis, the deputy minister said he was unaware of any such plans. "These obligations (on the unification of customs duties on imported cars and their increase to the level of rates in Russia from July 1, 2011. - BELTA note) have been undertaken, and they are strictly fulfilled by our country," Igor Petrishenko assured. According to him, Belarus is doing everything possible to ensure that there is no control on the Belarusian-Russian customs border and all control functions are transferred to the external perimeter. He also explained that until July 1 of this year, the Russian side has retained the right to selectively carry out customs control, but only for goods from third countries, which also applies to passenger cars. At the commission meeting, deputies discussed two international documents within the framework of the Customs Union, which are planned to be ratified at the upcoming meetings of the House of Representatives. In particular, they decided to recommend that the House of Representatives ratify the protocol on amendments to the agreement on the CU Commission. This protocol was signed in Moscow in December 2010 and has been applied provisionally since the date of signing. Under its terms, a shorter period is established for the entry into force of the commission's decisions that are binding and subject to application in the CU member states' territories. Previously, the commission's decisions entered into force no earlier than one month after their official publication, and now they can enter into force immediately after official publication. In addition, the protocol provides for an expansion of the commission's powers. It is granted the right to create coordination and consultative bodies. -0-

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