Trucks from Europe will be allowed to enter Russia: what will bans be lifted for?

which they themselves introduced

It looks like we got a little carried away in the war on economic sanctions. And we cancel those of them that we ourselves introduced. Thus, according to media reports, the federal Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Agriculture are planning to give the green light to trucks from the EU countries. It is expected that not all European heavy trucks will get free passage through Mother Russia, but only those with perishable products, pharmaceuticals, alcohol and some other goods. As a result, experts expect a significant reduction in the delivery time of goods. After all, imported goods, for example, from Latin America through Europe will also be able to go to Russia without stops, like a letter train.

Recall: as part of its sanctions, the European Union banned the entry of Russian trucks into its zone back in April. At the same time, the leaders of eight Russian associations of food manufacturers petitioned the government not to introduce retaliatory measures, saying that it would cost them more. But they did introduce them – from October 1 of this year. Very soon, a collapse with import deliveries could begin in the country. But…

Everything is logical: there are no rules without exceptions, and exceptions, as you know, only confirm the rules. Since small but proud Belarus has banned European trucks from traveling around the republic since April, today cargo from the Old World is rehooked or reloaded onto domestic transport right at the border. What affects the delivery time of goods – not for the better. Trucks wait for reloading for several days, which increases logistics costs and reduces the shelf life of goods.

And perishable products do not always end up in stores with the “first freshness” category. For their part, specialized associations propose to include alcoholic products in the list of “perishables”. Since bottles are often shattered during reloading at checkpoints, and foreign currency is paid for them. Although it would seem that it is a sin for a Russian person to buy alcohol somewhere on the side …

In the list of goods for which they want to make a pleasant exception to the rule, food surprises. We are already accustomed to the fact (or we were convinced of this by television) that Russia is a great agrarian power and literally the whole world depends on the export of our food. And here the Ministry of Agriculture is fussing about letting European trucks with provisions into Russia directly, without any bureaucratic rigmarole. And when does he ask? When there is a crop failure in Europe, unprecedented heat and drought, when we are told that it can be left without food at all. What to believe?

According to experts, there are many nuances in the import of products. The main thing is that products do not fall under any sanctions at all, since these are essential, vital goods. Then, a piece of meat from Europe may be banned for import into Russia, and a delicacy sausage made from this piece of meat is allowed. Nuances, nuances…

As you know, the import of products from EU countries is prohibited. According to official data, in January-March of this year, we bought only 2,000 tons of dairy products in Serbia and 600 tons in Switzerland, mainly cheeses of elite brands. These states did not support anti-Russian sanctions in 2014.

But import dependence on dairy products in Russia is large – more than 44%. After perestroika in the “dashing 90s”, the livestock industry in the country suffered the most, we still have not reached the level of the Soviet 1990. Then in the RSFSR there were about 20 million dairy cows, and today – no more than 8 million. As they say, still stomp and stomp. So, we are “begging” around the world in order to fill the domestic market with dairy products.

– We have formed a list of goods that are undesirable for reloading or re-binding, – we were told at the Soyuzmoloko National Industry Association. – It included milk and dry cream, yoghurts, whey, butter, cocoa powders, fruits for making mango puree. Our list also includes ingredients for the production of dairy products and some components for the manufacture of packaging. We hope that the terms of delivery of goods will be reduced and financial costs will be reduced due to the provision of “services” at checkpoints for heavy trucks.

However, as we were told in one of the logistics transport companies, the measures taken are unlikely to give the expected effect. “Yes, trucks from Europe will be able to go to Russia without additional barriers. But the lines on the border of Belarus with Poland and the Baltic countries are created artificially and they will not disappear anywhere. Delivery time is unlikely to be reduced. Operations such as re-hooking or reloading will go away, due to this, the cost of the goods will decrease. But heavy trucks both stood and will stand … “