WT/DS499/1  
G/L/1128  
G/TBT/D/48  
 
26 October 2015  
(15-5652)  Page: 1/4  
  Original: English  
 
  RUSSIA – MEASURES AFFECTING THE IMPORTATION OF RAILWAY EQUIPMENT 
 AND PARTS THEREOF 
 
REQUEST FOR CONSULTATIONS BY UKRAINE 
The following communication, dated 21 October 2015,  from the delegation of Ukraine to the 
delegation of the Russian Federation and to the Chairperson of the Dispute Settlement Body, is circulated in accordance with Article 4.4 of the DSU. 
_______________ 
My authorities have instructed me to request consultations with the Government of the Russian 
Federation pursuant to Articles 1 and 4 of the Understanding on Rules and Procedures Governing 
the Settlement of Disputes ("DSU"), Article XXII of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 
1994 ("GATT 1994"), and Article 14 of the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade 1994  ("TBT 
Agreement") concerning certain measures imposed by the Russian Federation on importation of 
railway rolling stock, railroad switches, other railroad equipment, and parts thereof (hereinafter – 
"railway products") from Ukraine. 
I. Background 
As a result of several measures undertaken by th e Russian Federation with regard to importation 
of certain railway products, Ukrainian producers have been effectively banned from exporting to 
the Russian Federation. Consequently, exports of railway products from Ukraine to the Russian 
Federation reached USD 1,7 billion in 2013, decr eased significantly in 2014 (USD 600 million) and 
continue to decrease further: the value of exports amounted to only USD 51 million during the first 
half of 2015. 
On 15 July 2011 the Commission of the Customs Union of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russian 
Federation1 ("CU") adopted Decision No.710 concerning Technical Regulations No.01/2011,2 
No.002/2011,3 and No.003/20114 ("Technical Regulations") setting safety and technical 
requirements for placing into the market of "ra ilway rolling stock", "high-speed railway" and "rail 
transportation infrastructure" (the "Decision No.710"). According to the Decision No.710, the new 
Technical Regulations entered into force 3 years after their adoption, i.e. on 2 August 2014,5 and 
since that date all conformity assessment certificates for railway products have to be registered with the Federal Budgetary Organization "Register of Certification on the Federal Railway 
Transport" (FBO "RC FRT") in accordance with the new procedures set forth in the Technical 
Regulations. 
                                               
1 Presently, the Eurasian  Economic Commission. 
2 Available at: 
http://www.eurasiancommission.org/ru/act/texnreg/deptexreg/tr/Documents/TR%20Podvignoisostev%20PID.
pdf 
3 Available at: 
http://www.eurasiancommission.org/ru/act/texnreg/ deptexreg/tr/Documents/T R%20HighSpeed%20PID.pdf  
4 Available at: 
http://www.eurasiancommission.org/ru/act/texnreg/de ptexreg/tr/Documents/TR% 20Infrastruktura%20PID.pdf  
5 http://www.eurasiancommission.org/en/nae/news/Pages/01-08-2014-2.aspx  WT/DS499/1 • G/L/1128 • G/TBT/D/48 
 
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  The Decision No.710 was then amended by Decisi on of the CU No.285 of 2 December 2013 "On 
Amendment of the Decision of the Commi ssion of the CU No.710 of 15 July 2011"6 allowing for a 
transitional period of application, i.e. until  1 August 2016, of the conformity assessment 
certificates issued to producers of railway products prior to entry into force of the above-
mentioned Technical Regulations. The amendment also established a transitional period until 
1 August 2016 for the railway prod ucts which were not previously subject to mandatory conformity 
assessment procedures. 
Importantly, the conformity assessment certificates  previously registered with the FBO "RCFRT" to 
Ukrainian producers of railway products started being suspended as of late 2013. The suspension was justified by the Russian Federation authorities as " technical issues " and " absence of 
appropriate conditions for the performance of [the required yearly] inspections " of the production 
facilities of the Ukrainian producers. In spite of the repeated requests, no reasonable explanations 
for these unwarranted suspensions of the certificates have been provided by the Russian Federation authorities to Ukrainian exporters and to the Ukrainian authorities. 
It is further submitted that the difficulties with obtaining the certificates does not occur in other 
countries of the CU. Indeed, with respect to the railway rolling stock products, the conformity assessment bodies of the CU located in the Republic  of Belarus and in the Republic of Kazakhstan 
have already issued the conformity assessment cert ificates based on the CU Technical Regulation 
001/2011 to Ukrainian producers of railway rolling stock products . 
However, these certificates were considered not va lid by the authorities of the Russian Federation. 
These authorities also determined that the product at stake could not be registered for operation in 
the territory of the Russian Federation.  
As far as the railway transport infrastructure products are concerned, the Ukrainian producers of 
railroad switches affected by the suspension of their conformity assessment certificates, have 
submitted in December 2014 new applications for certificates pursuant to the new procedures set 
forth in the CU Technical Regulation 003/2011. However, in February 2015 these applications of the Ukrainian producers have been rejected by th e Russian Federation authorities also without any 
reasonable explanation for the grounds of the rejection. 
As a result of the above-mentioned suspensions of conformity assessment certificates and the 
impediment to apply for new certificates pursuant to the newly adopted CU Technical Regulations, the Ukrainian producers can no longer export their railroad products to the Russian Federation.  
Ukraine has addressed on several occasions its concerns with regard to this matter in the WTO 
Committee of Technical Barriers to Trade as well as bilaterally with the Russian Federation. However, its efforts to resolve this matter failed to reach a mutually agreed solution. 
II. Measures at issue 
The legal instruments through which the Russian Federation imposes and administers the above-
mentioned measures in a manner that affects Ukraine's rights under the WTO are the following:  
 Decision of the Commission of the Customs Un ion No. 710 of 15 July 2011 "On Adoption of 
technical regulations of the Customs Union "On Safety of Railway Rolling Stock", "On Safety of High-Speed Rail" and "On Safety of Railway Transportation Infrastructure"; 
 Decision of the Commission of the Customs Union No.285 of 2 December 2013 "On 
Amendment of the Decision of the Commiss ion of the CU No.710 of 15 July 2011";  
 Customs Union Technical Regulation No.001/2011 "On Safety of Railway Rolling Stock" 
adopted by the Decision of the Commission of the Customs Union No.710 of 15 July 2011; 
 Customs Union Technical Regulation No.002/2011 "On Safety of High-Speed Rail" adopted by 
the Decision of the Commission of the Customs Union No.710 of 15 July 2011; 
                                               
6 Available at: http://www.eurasiancommission.org/docs/Download.aspx?IsDlg=0&ID=5008&print=1  WT/DS499/1 • G/L/1128 • G/TBT/D/48 
 
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   Customs Union Technical Regulation No.001/2011 "On Safety of Railway Transportation 
Infrastructure" adopted by the Decision of the Commission of the Customs Union No.710 of 15 July 2011; 
 Federal Law of the Russian Federation No. 184-FZ  "On Technical Regulation"; 
 Chapter 10 and Protocol on Technical Regulation to the Treaty on the Eurasian Economic 
Union of 29 May 2015; 
 Orders of the Ministry of Tr ansport of the Russian Federati on No. 137 of 14 November 2005 
"On the organization of work for numbered accounting of rolling stock, containers, operated 
on the roads of general use" and No.266 of  25  July 2012 "On Approval of the administrative 
regulations of the Federal Railway Transport Agency concerning public service for implementation of numbered accounting of the railroad rolling stock and containers");  
 Instructions of the Russian Federal Budget Organiza tion Register of Certificates for the Federal 
Railway Transportation concerning the suspensions of certificates of Ukrainian producers ; 
 Protocol of the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation No. ATS-3 adopted on 
20 January 2015 concerning invalidation of the cert ificates issued to certain railroad products 
of Ukrainian origin; 
 Letter of the Russian Federal Budget Organization Register of Certificates for the Federal 
Railway Transportation of 9 February 2015 No. 01305 rejecting the application for issuing 
conformity assessment certificates for certain railroad products (switches). 
In addition, this request also covers in wh atever form: any amendments, supplements, or 
extensions to or of the measures referred to in Section II, above; any measures replacing, 
renewing or implementing the measures referred  to in Section II, above; and, any measures 
related to the measures referred to in Section II, above.  
III. Legal basis for the complaint 
In Ukraine's view, these measures appear to be inconsistent with the Russian Federation's 
obligations under the following provisions of the covered agreements:  
1. Article I:1 of the GATT 1994, because the products of Ukrainian origin are not 
accorded immediately and unconditionally any advantage, favour, privilege or 
immunity granted to like products of any other Member; 
2. Article III:4 of the GATT 1994, because the me asures at issue accord less favourable 
treatment to like products originating in Ukraine than to like products of national 
origin; 
3. Article X:3(a) of the GATT 1994, because the laws, regulations, decisions and rulings 
with regard to the measures at issue were not administered in a uniform, impartial 
and reasonable manner; 
4. Article XI:1 of the GATT 1994, because the Russian Federation instituted prohibitions 
or restrictions other than duties, taxes or other charges; 
5. Article XIII:1 of the GATT 1994, because the Ru ssian Federation instituted prohibitions 
or restrictions on imports from Ukraine, while importation of the like product from all other third countries or exportation of the like product to all other third countries was not similarly prohibited or restricted; 
6. Article 2.1 of the TBT Agreement, because the measures at issue accord less 
favourable treatment to like products originating in Ukraine than that accorded to like products of national origin and to like products originating in any other country; WT/DS499/1 • G/L/1128 • G/TBT/D/48 
 
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  7. Article 2.2 of the TBT Agreement, because the measures at issue were prepared, 
adopted and applied with a view to or with the effect of creating unnecessary obstacles to trade; 
8. Article 2.5 of the TBT Agreement, becaus e the Russian Federation did not, upon 
request from the Ukrainian authorities, explain the justification for adoption of the 
measures at issue; 
9. Article 5.1.1 of the TBT Agreement, becaus e the procedures for assessing conformity 
prepared, adopted and applied by the Russian Federation accord less favourable 
treatment to like products originating in Ukraine than to like products of national origin or originating in any other country, in a comparable situation; 
10. Article 5.1.2 of the TBT Agreement, becaus e the procedures for assessing conformity 
contained in the measures at issue create unnecessary obstacles to international 
trade; 
11. Article 5.2.1 of the TBT Agreement, beca use the conformity assessment procedures 
were not completed as expeditiously as possible and were undertaken in less 
favourable manner for products originating in  the territories of other Members than for 
like domestic products; 
12. Article 5.2.2 of the TBT Agreement, be cause the competent Russian Federation 
authorities have not promptly examined the completeness of the documentation of Ukrainian producers applying for conformity assessment certificates and have not informed these applicants in a precise and complete manner of all deficiencies; and 
because the competent authorities of the Russian Federation have not transmitted as 
soon as possible the results of the assessment in a precise and complete manner to the applicant so that corrective action may be taken if necessary; 
13. Article 5.2.3 of the TBT Agreement, becaus e the information requirements were not 
limited to what is necessary to assess conformity and determine the fees; 
14. Article 5.2.5 of the TBT Agreement, because the fees imposed for assessing 
conformity of products originating in the territory of Ukraine are not equitable in 
relation to any fees chargeable for assessing the conformity of like products of Russian Federation origin or originating in any other country; and 
15. Article 5.2.6 of the TBT Agreement, because th e siting of facilities used in conformity 
assessment procedures and the selection of samples caused unnecessary 
inconvenience to applicants or their agents. 
These violations appear to nullify or impair benefits accruing to Ukraine directly or indirectly under 
the covered agreements within the meanin g of Article XXIII:1 of the GATT 1994.  
Ukraine reserves the right to raise further factual and legal claims regarding these measures in the 
course of the consultations. Ukraine also reserves its right to raise additional matters during the 
course of these consultations and in any future request for panel proceedings. 
Ukraine looks forward to receiving response from the Russian Federation to this request and to 
fixing a mutually convenient date for consultations. 
 
__________