This became possible after Russia and the European Union signed a protocol on expanding the sphere of the EU-Russia treaty, which will now encompass ten new EU countries.
Talking to RIA Novosti, people at the Estonian Foreign Ministry's press center noted that such duties had been abolished by the afore-said treaty's most-favored nation clause.
Exports from Estonia to Russia plunged nearly by 33% since 1994 as a result of trade restrictions, with overall Estonian exports skyrocketing almost 300 percent over the same time period.
The existence of double customs duties also affected Russian exporters just because exports from Russia to Estonia had increased by less than 100 percent over these years; meanwhile overall Estonian imports had soared more than 300 percent, officials at the Estonian Foreign Ministry's press center stressed.
The Estonian Foreign Ministry believes that the EU's expansion will positively affect Estonian and Russian economies, also providing additional bilateral-cooperation opportunities.
Russia started charging double customs duties on all Estonian imports May 1, 1995.
