The WTO (World Trade Organization) was created to regulate trade and economic relations between countries and liberalize world trade. On December 16, 2011, at the Ministerial Conference, after 19 years of negotiations, Russia was accepted into this organization.
On July 10, 2012, at a meeting of the State Duma, deputies ratified the protocol on Russia's accession to the WTO by a majority vote, and only members of the EP voted in favor. Against were all the other Duma factions: the Communist Party, the SR, the Liberal Democratic Party. The deputies from the Communist Party and the SR tried to delay ratification, for which they submitted a request to the Constitutional Court on the compliance of this act with the country's Basic Law. According to the applicants, WTO accession threatens Russia's national and economic security. As expected, the Constitutional Court did not find any violations and recognized the contract as legal.
Opposition parties have good arguments in defense of their position. WTO limits protectionism, i.e. state protection of its producers. However, in developed countries, which mainly benefit from WTO membership, strict protectionism was state policy during the modernization of the economy and production. Russian industry needs urgent modernization, however, in the absence of state protection, it will inevitably lose to cheaper and higher-quality imports.
Europe expects a second wave of crisis that will affect our country. In the Russian sick economy, which is completely dependent on the sale of raw materials, in the absence of a competitive industry, the upcoming shocks will be much more difficult than in the European one. The Duma opposition considers joining the WTO in such conditions a very dangerous step for the country.
V. Zhirinovsky on behalf of the Liberal Democratic Party said that the time of the WTO has long passed, and this organization will soon disintegrate. Therefore, his party does not see the point of joining a dying organization and will vote against ratification of the treaty.
The Russian farmers expect serious troubles from joining the WTO, since agreements with it provide for a reduction in state support for agriculture. These agreements also provide for equalization of external and domestic gas prices. Thus, Russia expects an inevitable increase in price increases for all products that are produced using gas fuel.
