"Referring to the discussions between representatives of the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the United States of America regarding application of paragraph 6.12.3 of the Regulation on Common Procedures of Veterinary Control at the Border of the Customs Union and within the customs territory of Customs Union approved by the CU Commission Decision No. 317 of 18 June 2010 "On application of veterinary and sanitary measures in the Customs Union", the representatives of the Government of the Russian Federation (Russian Federation) and of the Government of the United States of America (United States) have reached the following understandings regarding the requirements and procedures for pre-notification that will be applied to relevant imports from the United States.
I. Taking into account the structure of imports of goods subject to veterinary control, specifically beef, pork, lamb, horse, and poultry (covered products), from the United States destined for the customs territory of the Customs Union established between the Russian Federation, the Republic of Kazakhstan, and the Republic of Belarus (Customs Union), geographical and logistical characteristics of such trade flows, having in mind close cooperation of the competent authorities in the sphere of veterinary control of covered products of the Russian Federation and the United States, and with the view to promote such cooperation and provide the competent authorities of the Russian Federation with the information on imports of covered products, the United States will provide the Russian Federation's competent authority (Rosselkhoznadzor) access to the Electronic Trade Document Exchange System (eTDE System). The United States will grant such access by providing logins to the eTDE system to officials of Rosselkhoznadzor that are notified to the competent authority of the United States (the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). Rosselkhoznadzor will notify FSIS and provide information about the relevant officials of Rosselkhoznadzor within 7 working days from the date specified in Item II of this Letter.
procedures applied, as of the date specified in Item II of this Letter, for notification of veterinary certificates for imports of covered products from the United States destined for the territory of the Russian Federation will continue to be applied and will meet all pre-notification requirements, until the eTDE System is applied to veterinary certificates of covered products, subject to veterinary control, imported from the United States to the customs territory of the Customs Union.
United States provides access to the eTDE System to Rosselkhoznadzor, in respect of covered products imported by sea transport, the pre-notification procedures and information supplied under the eTDE System will be considered as satisfying the requirements for pre-notification, in particular by providing a means for confirmation of the authenticity of U.S. veterinary certificates.
cases of detection by the Russian Federation's competent authorities of mass falsification of veterinary certificates or detection of a certificate that gives rise to concerns about its authenticity, the competent authorities of the United States will provide Rosselkhoznadzor with the information to assist in the verification of the authenticity of a certificate within 30 working days from the date of receipt of a written request of Rosselkhoznadzor for such information. This requirement will apply to goods subject to veterinary control, imported from the United States by any other means of transport and to goods other than covered products imported from the United States destined for the customs territory of the Customs Union.
understand that the United States expects that the eTDE System will be available to provide the competent authorities of the member-states of the Customs Union with the opportunity to read and search veterinary certificates for covered products that have been issued by FSIS, no later than 6 months after the date of receipt of your reply pursuant to Item II of this Letter.
have the honor to request that you confirm that your Government shares these understandings and that this letter and your letter of confirmation in reply constitute an agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the United States.
I. The agreement shall be applied provisionally from the date of the receipt of your letter of confirmation in reply.
I. The agreement shall enter into force on the day after each Party has received from the other Party written notification that the other Party has completed its internal procedures necessary for entry into force of this agreement, but not earlier than accession of the Russian Federation to the World Trade Organization."
have the honor to confirm that my Government shares this understanding and that your letter and this letter of confirmation in reply shall constitute an agreement between our two Governments.