The Association of European Businesses (AEB) has voiced its position on the liberalization of parallel imports. The parallel import issues became especially acute for business after March 8, 2022, when the RF Government was empowered to determine for 2022 the list of goods allowed for import without the rightsholder consent. On May 6, 2022, the list of categories of goods and specific brands which can be imported in Russia without permission of the rightsholders was published by the Ministry of Industry and Trade. The list is planned to be updated on a regular basis.
“The AEB has consistently opposed the legalization of parallel imports and has always pointed to the risks associated with unauthorized product circulation. However, in the light of the current economic crisis, the AEB understands that the need to support the business and economy of the country may require difficult decisions. In the long term, the AEB position on parallel imports remains unchanged, but in the short-term, parallel imports are possible for some goods as an exceptional temporary measure to ensure the availability on the local market of goods whose production has not been set up or has been suspended/stopped in Russia. We have reflected this approach in the new AEB Memorandum on Parallel Imports,” comments Tadzio Schilling, CEO of Association of European Businesses.