Parallel import ban may be lifted in EEU

The Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) is considering the possibility of authorising parallel imports in the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), EEC Anti-monopoly Regulation Department Deputy Director Alexander Kurilchik stated during an online conference hosted by the website Belarusian News on February 16 2015.

Parallel imports are currently prohibited in the Customs Union and the Eurasian economic space, which has led to the monopolisation of the markets by the authorised distributors of foreign brands, which have imposed unrealistically high prices on some imported products, Kurilchik noted.

“The Eurasian Economic Commission has compared prices for services and spare parts available from authorised dealers and independent suppliers in the EEU. It turns out that, for instance, in Belarus prices for brake pads available from authorised dealers are 25-60% higher than prices for the same merchandise available from independent automobile service companies. In Kazakhstan, the price difference is 25-40%, and in Russia it is 31-71%,” Kurilchik explained.

If parallel imports were authorised, it would allow for competition among sources of the same or similar goods, and this would thus reduce the prices of imported goods, he explained.

Aleksandra Pavlovic, PETOŠEVIC, Skopje