MOSCOW, November 28 (RIA Novosti)
Kommersant
Russia: Recent Polls Show Growing Patriotism, Anti-Immigrant Sentiment
Two-thirds of Russians have both patriotic and anti-immigrant sentiment, according to recent surveys. Any nationalist party could easily rally the support of 30% of the people due to mounting discontent.
A majority of Russians, 65%, feel strongly that the number of immigrants needs to be reduced, 7% think there could more, and 21% said it should remain the same, according to an October survey by Levada Center. Equal numbers, about 34%-35% agree or disagree, respectively, that immigrants should have equal rights with Russians. At the same time, 71% of respondents believe that immigrants increase the crime rate, up from 54% in 1995 and 59% in 2003.
“Immigrants are people with a different lifestyle and a different language, and they certainly increase tension among those with a low social and educational status,” said Alexei Grazhdankin, deputy head of Levada Center.
“This is partly justified,” said Valery Solovei, Doctor of History. “Statistics confirm that immigrants account for more than half of all serious crimes in the big cities.” Russia is the only country that keeps its borders with drug-producing countries open. Introducing visas for the Central Asian countries would have improved the situation, he added.
Most respondents, 64%, believe that strong patriotic feelings can preserve Russia’s territorial integrity. At the same time, 33% agree that patriotic sentiments can cause a negative attitude toward immigrants, and 34% said these sentiments would lead to growing intolerance. “Any political party with a nationalist agenda could easily rally the support of 25%-30% of Moscow residents because immigrants are seen as one of the strongest social irritants,” Solovei added.
A growing number of Russians, 67%, believe immigrants are taking jobs from them. This figure is up from 48% in 1996 and 58% in 2003. Only 12% disagreed with this. The majority of respondents, 73%, believe that the government should take immediate action to deport illegal immigrants, while only 7% disagreed.
There were no labor immigrants in 2003, Grazhdankin said. Most non-Russians were refugees from various “hot spots.” He also pointed out that immigrants in Russia find it difficult to adapt because the host country offers little in the way of assistance.
“People don’t like the growing numbers of immigrants. According to estimates, Russia has the world’s largest number of illegal immigrants,” Solovei said. Russians are annoyed by their reluctance to adopt Russian traditions as well as by the Muslim holidays widely celebrated in the center of Moscow.
“The problem with immigration is that it significantly increases social tension,” he said. However, the Russian government does not seem in a hurry to address it, judging by recent amendments to the citizenship law. “The government seems willing to replace the native population with immigrants if they are loyal,” he added.
Novye Izvestia
EU Insists Russia Honor WTO Commitments
With the ink barely dry on Russia’s final agreements to join the World Trade Organization (WTO), the European Union (EU) is already complaining. The EU has announced it will file a complaint against Russia with the WTO Dispute Settlement Body. The EU claims that Russia is violating WTO requirements in the automobile industry and in agriculture by introducing protectionist measures against foreign goods. The United States and Japan share this opinion. The EU believes that Russia is infringing on the rights of European companies and is hindering competition.
Two weeks after Russia joined the WTO, European Commissioner for Trade Karel De Gucht raised the issue of Russia’s vehicle utilization duties and the ban on pig imports from the EU at a Russian-Finnish seminar. He hinted at the possibility of lodging a complaint with the WTO Dispute Settlement Body.
Russia pledged to halve import duties on foreign vehicles to 15% for new and to 25% for used vehicles within six years of its accession to the WTO. But on September 1, one week after becoming a member, Russia introduced vehicle utilization duties.
Foreign vehicle exporters are required to pay up to $450 in duties for cars and up to 150,000 euros for heavy trucks. Russian producers are only required to buy vehicles back at the end of their service life for recycling purposes.
The Russian automobile lobby is happy: foreign vehicles have not become cheaper. In addition, the utilization duty fully compensates for the budget shortfall due to the cancellation of import duties after WTO accession. “Russia will contest the utilization duty complaints,” said Alexei Portansky, a professor at the Higher School of Economics. “They may adjust some parameters, but only after the EU files an official request [in writing].”
Russia has also refused to lift the ban on pig imports from the EU. It banned the import of pigs in 2011 due to concerns over the Schmallenberg virus, which outraged pig breeders. EU officials claim that Russia’s sanctions are groundless, because the virus is not dangerous for humans and mostly affects cattle rather than pigs. Experts believe that Russia’s stance on the pig issue is especially weak. “This ban clearly violates WTO rules, and hence Russia will likely back off and lift the ban,” said Natalya Volchkova, a leading researcher at the New Economic School’s Center for Economic and Financial Research.
If the EU files the complaint and receives a ruling in its favor, Russia will have to repeal the government regulation or adjust it to WTO Dispute Settlement Body requirements.
This might not be the last trade conflict. It took Russia 18 years to join the WTO, but now economists and producers are criticizing its accession decision. Accession opponents are concerned that the sale of Russian-made industrial goods will decrease.
Russia’s most vulnerable industries are auto manufacturing, mechanical engineering and the footwear, textile and food industries.
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