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Working Group on Customs meeting
Legislation and Lobbying Committee

Wednesday, July 28, 2010, 9:30
Office SPIBA, Nevsky Prospekt 21,
Office 506

Minutes of the meeting

On Wednesday, July 28, 2010, SPIBA Legislation and Lobbying Committee held its first meeting of the working group on customs. Working Group was headed by Igor Petrov, director of law firm Casto, specializing in matters of customs legislation and practices. Igor Petrov has many years of experience in customs, the last post - deputy chief of the North-West Customs Directorate, Chief of Legal Services.

Wilhelmina Shavshina, Ph.D., Advisor, Head of foreign trade regulation, DLA Piper in St. Petersburg attended working group meeting. Ms. Shavshina is a member of the expert council on customs-tariff policy at the Committee on Industry and Deputy Chairman of Council on customs regulation and expert advice on tax legislation in the Committee on Budget and Taxes of the State Duma, member of the Expert Council under the customs legislation in the State Duma.

Ludmila Murgulets, executive director of SPIBA, spoke about the causes, problems and history of the working group and that SPIBA sent application form in order to take part in the Advisory Board of the Customs Policy in Northwest Custom Service.

Igor Petrov presented the basic principles and algorithms of the group in the future:
- Dialogue and exchange of experience, free format of presentations
- Frequency – Once a month or more frequently on case of need
- Monitoring and compilation of the changes of customs legislation, enforcement practices, issues and situations that arise.
- Integration of information from members of the association of customs related issues, providing guidance or direction of the respective requests and offers in Northwest customs office, Russian Federal Customs Service and other competent authorities
- Preparation of meetings, round tables and seminars with the participation of customs officials.
- A possible resolution of current problems, which can be resolved

In the format of free discussion there were also discussed issues related to the current situation with the customs legislation of the Russian Federation at the end of July 2010:

- movement of goods across the external borders of the Customs Union

- movement of goods across the internal borders of Members state of the Customs Union

- movement of goods by individuals.

Participants also focused on the movement of goods and items for personal use by foreign nationals who arrive in Russia to hold a contract. The working group endorsed the idea to apply to the Federal Customs Service for clarifications or changes in this regard.
There were also discussed the rules for moving and processing of goods for diplomats.
Participants concluded that there is a need to prepare a brief memo on new rules for individuals.

There were recommended sources of information on the following issues:
• Where to obtain information on the Customs Union.
• What is a Customs Union.
• Structure of the legislation in the sphere of customs affairs in Russia starting from July 1, 2010
• How the law applies in the sphere of customs regulation in Russia today.
• The customs control and customs clearance at the internal borders.