Russia wants to keep the threshold of duty-free import of goods at €1,000

The threshold for duty-free importation of goods in foreign online stores on the territory of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) from October 1 may be kept at the level of €1,000, said Vedomosti Representative of Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk. He clarified that a proposal is already being prepared to the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) to extend the norm until July 1, 2023. The representative of the Ministry of Economy of the Russian Federation confirmed that this initiative is being worked out.

The decision to maintain the threshold of €1,000 can only be taken by the EEC, but at the next meeting of the commission, which is scheduled for September 23, this issue is not yet on the table. A member country of the union can initiate consideration of this topic. If no one does this, the duty-free threshold will automatically drop to €200.

An unnamed top manager of one of the largest Russian marketplaces told Vedomosti that the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation is “most actively” in favor of lowering the threshold. The decline is also supported by the Association of Internet Commerce Companies: its president, Artem Sokolov, is convinced that the current approach “creates an imbalance in electronic commerce and puts domestic players in unequal competitive conditions compared to online stores outside the EAEU.” Ozon believes that it is necessary to maintain the threshold of €1,000 “in an environment where Russian alternatives to the departed assortment are just being formed, and new supply chains are being established.”

Laura Keffer