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State Customs Committee defends lengthy examination of Ukrainian candy shipments

 

The State Customs Committee (SCC) has defended the lengthy examination of Ukrainian candy shipments, saying that they are stopped by customs officers in full compliance with laws.

In its letter to BelaPAN, the SCC says that some of the shipments have been examined not at the border but at customs clearance facilities inside the country. It stresses that the shipments have not been examined longer than allowed by the Customs Code of the Customs Union.

Oleksandr Baldynyuk, president of Ukraine's Ukrkondprom candy industry association, told BelaPAN on Thursday that Ukrainian candy shipments were still stopped by Belarusian customs but their examination had become shorter.

Mr. Baldynyuk recalled that Belarusian Prime Minister Mikhail Myasnikovich had ordered retailers to limit the share of imports in their candy sales to 15 percent. The order is in violation of a trade agreement between Belarus and Ukraine, he said.

"I cannot understand this policy. Belarusian candy makers' problems should be solved through an increase in their competitiveness rather than violations of the agreement. They need a specific incentive," Mr. Baldynyuk said.

Shipments of Ukrainian-made candies have been stopped at the Belarusian border since early April. Reports have it that the Belarusian government introduced the controversial measure to help domestic candy makers trim their bloated inventories.  // BelaPAN