Pigs Are Still a Problem, But Russia’s WTO Accession Chances Are Looking Up

By Amanda Lahan, Account Manager, The PBN Company, Washington, DC

Russia’s accession bid to the World Trade Organization received quite a bit of attention during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on June 4-6. EU Trade Commissioner Catherine Ashton and US Trade Representative Ron Kirk met separately with Economic Development Minister Elvira Nabiullina to discuss Russia’s entry into the WTO.  While Ashton was optimistic that the accession process could be completed by the end of this year, Kirk stopped short of putting a date on when Russia would finally join.

These meetings follow on other, mostly positive, signals coming out of Russia regarding its desire and readiness to enter the WTO.  Since President Obama first met with President Medvedev on April 1 and discussed WTO accession, Prime Minister Putin and Foreign Minister Lavrov have expressed support for Russia’s WTO bid.  Minister Nabiullina has stated that she thinks that Russia could become a member of the WTO by early 2010.

Russia has recently taken some concrete steps that indicate an increased commitment to the WTO process, especially in regards to enforcing international intellectual property rights.  At the end of last month, the Interior Ministry made its first ever raid against a website that posted pirated films . Unlike in the case against the illegal music website Allofmp3.com, which authorities shut down but did not punish, lawyers believe that the video pirates in this instance will be charged and sentenced to up to six years of jail as per Part IV of the Civil Code, which Russian officials are finally enforcing.  In June, Putin publicly scolded the Federal Customs Agency for failing to prevent contraband, including counterfeits, from entering the country and for failing to prosecute illegal importers.  Imported counterfeits have been a serious issue for rights holders in Russia.

However, Russia’s ban on meat, primarily pork, from certain US states remains an unresolved issue - Russia has banned pork from several states due to swine flu concerns. On June 2, Rosselkhoznadzor, the Russian state agricultural watchdog, extended the ban to pork and live pigs from Utah.  At the St. Petersburg Forum, Kirk stated that these bans were a “matter of grave concern.”  He also indicated that lifting the ban would speed up Russia’s accession process.

But despite the pork problem, Russia’s WTO accession is looking more like a realistic proposition than it has in years.  Trade officials in both Washington and Moscow are now waiting for action to follow rhetoric.

Possibly related posts:

1. Swine Flu: Russia’s WTO Accession May Be First Casualty
2. What a Difference a Day Makes: Russia’s WTO Accession Hits Surprise New Hurdle
3. Having it Both Ways - Russia is Saying Yes to Both the WTO and the Customs Union
4. After Two U-Turns, Has Russia’s Accession to the WTO Come Full Circle?
5. Is Medvedev’s “Go Russia!” Going Anywhere?