OREANDA-NEWS. Head of the Research Center for Federal and Regional Alcohol Markets (RCFRAM) Vadim Drobiz doubts that the Moldovan wines will return to the Russian market for a long time.

The Russian expert believes that, after the signing of Free Trade Agreement with the EU, the bans would be reinstated. “Even if Russia will open its doors to some companies in early November, it will eventually close them,” says Drobiz. The centre's head added that he “continues to be confident that the countries aspiring to EU will be punished for their refractory attitude, in any case till the new 2014 year”.

One week ago, Rospotrebnadzor head Gennady Onishchenko said that Moldovan wines could return to the Russian market, yet there is a risk that not for long time. “If Moldova achieves its mid-autumn objectives, we will restore this process to point zero. If the things develop in this way, we will act by taking into account that changes will take place in an important area of the Moldovan economy in terms of budget, that will fundamentally alter the organisational structure of the branch. This will make us re-examine the deliveries problem from the scratch, depending on the new economic situation in the Moldovan wine industry”, said Onishchenko.

The head of Rospotrebnadzor did not specify which objectives and changes he meant. Yet, more experts believe that it is about the initialling of the Free Trade Agreement with the European Union in November.

“The import-export procedures will be reviewed in the light of the new situation. Therefore, I do not understand what this has to do with Onishchenko and the ban on production deliveries. It is clear that the import-export procedures from Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine will be similar to those from the EU”, said expert Vadim Drobiz.

On 11 October, a group of Rospotrebnadzor experts, who inspected the Chisinau-based National Centre of Alcoholic Beverages Testing and visited several wineries, completed its three-day visit to Moldova.

The Russian sanitary service (Rospotrebnadzor) will decide, after the group of experts' visit, on what measures Moldova is to take, yet not also on the opening of the Russian market for the Moldovan wines, said Rospotrebnadzor head Gennady Onishchenko. The chief state sanitary doctor of Russia added that it was not about a decision on the access of Moldovan alcoholic beverages to the Russian market, but on the next steps to be taken for their return to the Russian market.

The supplies of Moldovan alcoholic beverages to the Russian market were fully stopped under an order by the head of the Russian sanitary inspection Rospotrebnadzor, Gennady Onishchenko, from 10 September.