The Russian Trade-Remedy System: Peculiarities and Future Prospects

Since its 1993 application for membership in the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT, now the World Trade Organization, or WTO), Russia has enacted several legal instruments to adapt to WTO trade-remedy rules. Russia's 2003 Trade-Remedy Law largely reiterates WTO rules; it also, however, contains certain provisions that clarify ambiguous language used in the WTO agreements, that set forth either stricter or looser standards, or that introduce new elements that do not exist in the current multilateral trade agreements. In addition, some peculiarities can also be found with respect to institutional and practical aspects of the Russian trade-remedy system. Furthermore, it is expected that this system will undergo certain transformations under a planned customs union involving Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan.