40 SOCIAL SCIENTIST cooperation signed in 1995. In July 1998 the EU gave Russia the status of a market economy country. From the point of view of the EU foreign trade regime in relation to Russia, this action is very important. In the process of implementing antidumping procedures, which result in putting into effect certain sanctions, they can now only cover concrete companies but not a country (in our case Russia) as a whole entity. An important factor of Russia's active involvement in the international economic cooperation is to be its joining the World Trade Organization. The negotiations on the Russian membership in this organization are underway. There is no doubt that, in the strategic perspective, participation of Russia is necessary since it, first, involves Russia into the global mechanism which regulates the international economic relations and, second, gives the opportunity to influence further development of this mechanism, to take into consideration Russia's stand when working further on the improvement of the world trade rules. At the same time we ought to take into consideration that the basic principle of the WTO in commodity trade - the most-favoured-nation clause -has already been fixed in the bilateral agreements with almost all the WTO member countries. Therefore the customs and tariff taxation of Russian commodities already exercises a number of rights which the WTO member states possess. Consequently, immediate joining the WTO is not vital for the development of the Russian exports. Nevertheless, Russia's participation in the WTO will create more favourable conditions for the industrial export development. Its immediate consequence ought to be the recognition of Russia as a market economy country and, accordingly, the transfer to the general principles of GATT when defining dumping. Under these circumstances at the negotiations with WTO, Russia seeks to join it on the most favourable terms even if it requires the extension of negotiations. A certain part of the negotiation process, concerning Russia's joining the WTO, has been through. In February 1998 Russia declared her readiness to start bilateral talks on the access to the commodity markets and passed her tariff suggestions to the interested WTO member states. During 1998 a few rounds of the talks were held. It is very important that in the process of these negotiations Russia should reserve an opportunity to protect, during the transitional period, the most promising processing industries. One of the major problems connected with participation in the