Russia to stop timber exports at many border crossings

摘要

In March 2008 the Russian government announced plans to stop timber exports at numerous border crossings on the Russian-Finnish border. The Russian government justified this measure by referring to cost savings and advantages in the area of combating crime. The Finnish Forest Industries Federation vigorously protests against the planned closure of customs clearing stations for log exports. According to the federation, log exporters will have to head for open posts and hence make detours. Consequently, the distance to Finnish wood processing companies will rise substantially. As numerous Russian roads in the vicinity of the border are in poor shape, the transport time will also go up.