Export Subsidies

Export subsidies are payments made by the government to encourage the export of specified products. As with taxes, subsidies can be levied on a specific or ad valorem basis. The most common product groups where export subsidies are applied are agricultural and dairy products.

31 .Russia’s trade policy.Major international trade agreements of which Russia is a member.

List of trade unions in Russia:

All-Russian Confederation of Labour, formed in 1995, affiliated with the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and the General Confederation of Trade Unions.

Confederation of Labour of Russia, formed in 1995, affiliated with the ITUC.

Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Russia, formed in 1990, affiliated with the ITUC.

General Confederation of Trade Unions, formed in 1992.

• BRICS (?)

Main Agreements:

Russia-Armenia free trade agreement

Serbia - Russia Free Trade Agreement

EU-Russia Common Economic Space

Russia's WTO accession (in the future):

The EU is a strong supporter of Russia's WTO membership. It is of fundamental importance for Russia's economic reform, sustainable growth and investment climate. Moreover, once negotiations on WTO accession have been concluded, it will bring opportunities for a qualitatively new step in EU-Russia economic relations.

Russia is the only major international economy which is not yet a member of WTO. Once Russia becomes a member, it will benefit from the rights and obligations set by the multilateral trading system of the WTO, including the possibility of recourse to the intergovernmental trade dispute settlement.

On 21 May 2004, the EU and Russia concluded the bilateral market access negotiations and signed the agreement that will form part of the terms for Russia's WTO accession. With the conclusion of a similar bilateral agreement with the United States on 19 November 2006, Russia has finalised a substantial part of its bilateral market access negotiations. The next step is the conclusion of the multilateral part of the WTO accession negotiations through the adoption of the so-called "working party report". From an EU perspective, main specific issues to be solved are export duties, including on wood, pricing policy in relation to railways and certain issues of agricultural imports to Russia.

From a broader systemic view, Russia also has to implement a number of legislative changes to bring its regulatory system in line with WTO rules. In this regard, a number of new developments that concern the trade regime have taken place with the introduction of the Customs Union between Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus as from 1 January 2010, and these changes are now being analysed.

It is the Russian Government's aim to complete its WTO- accession negotiations by the end of 2010. The EU strongly supports this timetable. Technically this aim could be achieved if there is timely input and a constructive approach, first of all, from Russia but also from the other parties involved. A lot of work still rests with Russia but the EU is ready to continue working closely together to this end.

Plans for Russian trade:

Two stages are planned for Russian customs tariff policy. The first stage (lasting until the end of the year 2010) is characterized as "softening the crisis" phase. In this stage "the customs tariff policy is a part of anti-crisis economic policy. Thus, the implementation of the customs tariff measures will be directed to the balanced protection of the interests of the state budget, domestic producers and consumers.

"The second stage - 2011-2012 years - is characterized by stabilization of the Russian economy and the move towards sustainable development. The main objectives of that period are the restoration of the balance between protectionism and regulatory functions of customs tariff policy as well as the formation of the potential for the sustainable post-crisis economic development."