Moscow, March 21. – Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Mikhail Mishustin held an Operational Meeting with Deputy Prime Ministers, during which they discussed reducing the impact of external sanctions on the Russian economy. The meeting was attended by the Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation Denis Manturov.
Mikhail Mishustin noted that in the conditions of disruption of logistics and trade chains, it is necessary to help people maintain access to familiar goods. To this end, Russia is actively cooperating with its partners in the Eurasian Economic Union.
At the suggestion of Russia, the threshold for duty-free purchases in foreign online stores will be raised in the EAEU from the current 200 to 1,000 euros. The requirements for the weight of the parcel will remain the same – no more than 31 kg. This decision was approved by the Council of the Eurasian Economic Commission and will be valid until October 1, 2022, – said the Prime Minister.
The meeting also discussed subsidizing freight traffic along the Northern Sea Route.
For Russian shippers, preferential tariffs will be established for the transportation of goods along the Northern Sea Route, which will be subsidized from the federal budget. We are talking about cabotage transportation between the ports of St. Petersburg and Murmansk and the regions of the Far East. Each year, 560 million rubles will be allocated for these purposes.
These are safe and reliable routes that pass within the territorial waters and the exclusive economic zone of our country. Over the past five years, cargo traffic along them has more than tripled and last year amounted to almost 35 million tons. And by 2024, the President set the task of increasing cargo traffic along the Northern Sea Route to 80 million tons. a cost-competitive maritime alternative will appear for the delivery of equipment, building materials, fish products and other in-demand cargo both from West to East and in the opposite direction, Mikhail Mishustin emphasized.
This decision was taken by the EAEU Council on the initiative of the Food Industry Development Association “Eurasian Council for the Industry of Specialized Food Products”