MOSCOW (Interfax) — The threshold for duty-free imports of goods purchased online needs to be lowered so that they do not create uncompetitive conditions on the Russian market, and Russia’s objective will be to persuade fellow Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) countries to take this step, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said at a Federal Customs Service board meeting on Friday.

Siluanov said:

We must work with our partners in the EAEU, persuade them of the need to lower thresholds, so that online trade, e-commerce is also subject to the relevant fees and the goods that are imported within the context of e-commerce do not create uncompetitive conditions on the goods market in Russia.

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E-commerce is currently one of the dynamically growing areas of entrepreneurial activity; of course it requires special attention from customs agencies and special control.

[… Russia] will continue joint work on the platform of the EAEU to lower thresholds for duty-free imports for e-commerce goods and to set sales of these goods apart into a separate sector of regulation within the union.

He also said Russia plans to complete work related to the preparation of procedures for customs regulation of international e-commerce this year:

An experiment will be conducted with the participation of Russian Post to improve customs operations using the procedures of the customs warehouse. It will apply to goods imported for subsequent acquisition by individuals within the context of cross-border e-commerce.