ST. PETERSBURG, March 27 - RAPSI. The Constitutional Court stated on Tuesday it is necessary to officially publish temporary international treaties before they come into effect.

The court was checking the constitutionality of Item 1, Article 23 of the federal law "On International Treaties of the Russian Federation" pursuant to which international treaties may be applied before they come into effect. And the law provides for the official publication of only those agreements which came into effect.

The case was initiated upon the complaint by Igor Ushakov, who brought a number of goods for personal use from China and paid all necessary customs duties in July 2010.

It was eventually revealed that customs officers did not take into account the provisions of the Customs Unions Customs Code subject to be applied as well as the import and export agreement between the union members.

The document was temporarily applied since July 1, 2010, and stipulated higher customs rates. Eventually, a recalculation was made, which served as a basis for referring to the court. The court held for the customs service's claim to recover arrears and penalties for the delayed payment.

According to the applicant, the rule in dispute does not allow the individuals concerned to timely familiarize themselves with international agreements and follow them.
The Constitutional Court established that the disputed rule requires official publication of temporarily applied international treaties.