The EU has neither the moral nor the legal right to demand compensation from Russia for damage, since the import substitution program was a response to the sanctions imposed against the Russian Federation. This was announced on Sunday, December 26, by a member of the international committee of the Federation Council Sergei Tsekov.
“The European Union has neither the moral nor the legal right to demand compensation from Russia for damages. If, within the framework of the policy of sanctions, they refused to supply us with products, we have the right to produce them ourselves, “he told RIA Novosti.
The senator noted that the West must first pay Russia about a trillion dollars for “the losses that we have suffered because of the sanctions.”
Earlier, on December 25, the EU applied to the World Trade Organization (WTO), presenting claims to Russia for € 290 billion. For such an amount, according to Europe, Russia “discriminated” against European goods with an import substitution policy.
The European Commission was unhappy with the “discriminatory assessment” and national quotas for applications for public procurement. The statement also noted the need to obtain preliminary permits for Russian companies that want to purchase engineering products abroad, while such documents are not required when purchasing domestic products.
Earlier, on December 22, the office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) published a report, which refers to the alleged violations by Russia of the WTO rules. The department reproached the Russian Federation for allegedly expanding state control over the economy. The United States authorities also expressed concern that “Russia continues to adopt and implement localization measures to provide benefits to both domestically produced goods and services.”
In turn, Ivan Abramov, deputy chairman of the Federation Council’s economic policy committee, in an interview with Izvestia, called the US statements the height of hypocrisy. He stressed that it was the States that were the first to impose sanctions and violated the WTO rules. The senator said that at present Russia is only responding to their attacks.
On November 19, it was reported that the European Union disputes several Russian measures taken as part of the import substitution program. On July 26, the EU filed a lawsuit against Russia with the WTO over measures that the alliance believes prohibit its companies from selling goods to Russian state-owned enterprises.
The Russian Federation has expanded its import substitution programs since 2015. In June, during a direct line, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the country’s economic sovereignty was increasing despite Western sanctions, and the restrictions only strengthened import substitution programs.
Source: IZ
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
