Address:

222357, Minsk, Svobody square, 2

Reception phone number:

+375 (1772) 5-55-72

Operating mode:

from 8.00 to 13.00 and from 14.00 to 17.00 on weekdays

hotline: +375 (1772) 5-55-72

Belarus plans to step up control over export of strategic goods

Thursday, 16 May 2019

Belarus plans to step up control over export of raw materials and commodities that are strategically important for the economy, reads the draft law to amend the Administrative Offences Code which introduces the responsibility for violating exchange transactions laws. The amendments passed the first reading in the Belarusian Parliament on 16 May, BelTA has learned.

The matter is about the export of skimmed milk powder, butter, cheese, meat, flour, raw cattle hides and other commodities (all in all 108 positions) from the list approved by Resolution No. 714 of the Council of Ministers dated 16 June 2004. The bill suggests introducing the liability for breaching the legislated requirement to sell the products featured on the list via exchange trades.

Introducing the bill, Antimonopoly Regulation and Trade Minister Vladimir Koltovitch noted that the lack of administrative liability for violating this requirement “gives economic entities an opportunity to export freely strategic goods and raw materials bypassing exchange trading. This creates the lack of market transparency, including in terms of pricing, contributes to corruption risks,” he said.

The minister provided the MART data for H2 2018. An estimated 38.3% of the total milk exports bypassed exchange trading. The same was true about meat, cattle and pork exports.

Products included in the list approved by Resolution No.714 enjoy a stable demand among foreign contractors. Such sales through exchange may have a positive impact on export prices, help exclude grey schemes, the minister explained.

Administrative responsibility will be preventive in nature, which corresponds to the country's liberalization policy.