Russia blocks UK's post-Brexit tariff proposal at WTO
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The UK’s proposal to split its import quotas from those of the EU after Brexit has drawn an official objection from Russia at the World Trade Organization, MLex has learned.
An objection from a single trading partner means that the WTO can’t certify the proposal until the problem is resolved. It might also force the UK to undergo the full procedure for changing its rates, rather than the simplified “rectification” procedure it has so far pursued.
In a notice to the global trade body, Russia stated that the draft UK schedule of tariffs and quotas was inconsistent with its obligations “under several basic WTO provisions,” MLex understands.
During a committee meeting at the WTO earlier this month, a Russian representative said that the EU’s current tariff list that hasn’t been ratified by all WTO members since Croatia’s accession to the bloc in 2013, therefore it can’t form the basis of a UK proposal for its post-Brexit schedule.
“The Russian Federation reiterated that the resolution of the issue of certification of the EU schedule seems to be pivotal to proceed with the new UK schedule,” said a WTO official who was present at the meeting where Russia delivered its notice.