Non-Tariff Barriers in Selected CIS Countries

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to measure and analyse how intensively CIS countries apply nontariff barriers (NTBs) to restrict foreign trade in regard to certain products and total trade. Five CIS countries were selected for this analysis, in particular Ukraine, Russian Federation, Moldova, Belarus, and the Kyrgyz Republic. We first consider measurement methods usually applied to NTBs, review other studies measuring NTBs in CIS countries, and then describe our own findings on the matter. This analysis was made in the framework of the EU Eastern Neighbourhood: Economic Potential and Future Development (ENEPO) project seeking to examine different aspects of the European Union’s relations with its neighbours to the East.