MOSCOW, October 11 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's Economic Development and Trade Ministry is seeking to sign an agreement in the near future with the European Union to raise quotas on exports of Russian steel to the EU, a senior ministry official said Tuesday.
Maxim Medvedkov, director of the ministry's department for trade negotiations, said the ministry had already requested that the EU set dates for the signing of the agreement that has been under discussion since late 2004.
The new agreement is designed to raise EU quotas on Russian steel from the current 1.8 million metric tons to 2.2 million tons in 2006 and to 2.3 million tons in 2007.