Authorities to reduce parallel imports of goods into Russia

The Ministry of Industry and Trade is once again preparing to update its order on parallel imports, which allows foreign products to be imported into the country without the permission of the rights holder. Almost once a quarter, the ministry used to rotate brands in the document, studying the situation with sales of foreign products. But this spring, the ministry plans to cut the volume of goods that can be imported into the country through parallel channels, a source familiar with the preparation of the document told Izvestia. The Ministry of Industry and Trade, in fact, will change its concept, he added.

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So, at the start, in 2022, the Ministry allowed the importation of entire categories of goods into the country - clothing, cosmetics, shoes, alcohol, pharmaceutical products and so on. There were some exceptions in these groups, they were made for certain brands that were still operating in Russia or supplying products through direct imports. Now the logic of the order is changing: a limited list of brands will be allowed for parallel imports, not the entire product category, another Izvestia source claims.

It is not by chance that the Ministry is cutting back this delivery channel - domestic manufacturers are gradually filling the market with their products and in some sectors are already ready to cover the needs of buyers, the source said.

In the Ministry of Industry and Trade "Izvestia" confirmed that they are reducing the flow of parallel imports, the department has prepared the next changes to the necessary order, it is already being registered with the Ministry of Justice. It has information about the codes of the commodity nomenclature of foreign economic activity (TN VED), some of which are limited to specific brands, the department noted.

"Parallel import is a flexible tool that has been developed for stable supply of all necessary commodity nomenclature of the Russian economy in conditions of turbulence in foreign markets. As domestic production of missing items develops, supplies from friendly countries and other factors increase, the list of products is subject to adjustment towards reduction," it added.

Read more in the exclusive material of "Izvestia":

Against a gray background: the authorities are reducing parallel imports of goods into the Russian Federation