Members of the EAEU. The Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union (EAU) came into force. The main provisions of the EEU Treaty

In Astana (Kazakhstan) by the presidents of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. Came into force on January 1, 2015.

: Armenia (since January 2, 2015), Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan (since August 12, 2015) and Russia.

The population of the EAEU countries as of January 1, 2016 was 182.7 million people (2.5% of the world population). The gross domestic product in the EAEU countries in 2014 amounted to $2.2 trillion (3.2% in the structure of world GDP). Industrial production reached $1.3 trillion (3.7% of global industrial production). The volume of foreign trade in goods of the EAEU with third countries in 2014 amounted to $877.6 billion (3.7% of world exports, 2.3% of world imports).

The Eurasian Economic Union was created on the basis of the Customs Union of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus and the Common Economic Space as an international organization of regional economic integration with international legal personality.

Within the framework of the Union, freedom of movement of goods, services, capital and labor is ensured, as well as the implementation of a coordinated, coordinated or unified policy in key sectors of the economy.

The idea of ​​creating the EAEU was laid down in the Declaration on Eurasian Economic Integration adopted by the presidents of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan on November 18, 2011. It sets out the goals of Eurasian economic integration for the future, including the declared task of creating the Eurasian Economic Union by January 1, 2015.

The creation of the EAEU means a transition to the next stage of integration after the Customs Union and the Common Economic Space.

The main goals of the Union are:

— creating conditions for the stable development of the economies of the member states in the interests of improving the living standards of their population;

— the desire to form a single market for goods, services, capital and labor resources within the Union;

— comprehensive modernization, cooperation and increasing the competitiveness of national economies in the global economy.

The highest body of the EAEU is the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council (SEEC), which includes the heads of member states. The SEEC considers fundamental issues of the Union's activities, determines the strategy, directions and prospects for the development of integration and makes decisions aimed at realizing the goals of the Union.

Meetings of the Supreme Council are held at least once a year. To resolve urgent issues of the Union's activities, extraordinary meetings of the Supreme Council may be convened at the initiative of any of the member states or the chairman of the Supreme Council.

The implementation and control over the execution of the EAEU Treaty, international treaties within the Union and decisions of the Supreme Council is ensured by the Intergovernmental Council (IGC), consisting of the heads of government of the member states. Meetings of the Intergovernmental Council are held as necessary, but at least twice a year.

The Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) is a permanent supranational regulatory body of the Union with headquarters in Moscow. The main tasks of the Commission are to ensure conditions for the functioning and development of the Union, as well as to develop proposals in the field of economic integration within the Union.

The Union Court is a judicial body of the Union that ensures the application by member states and bodies of the Union of the Treaty on the EAEU and other international treaties within the Union.

The chairmanship of the SEEC, EMU and the EEC Council (the level of vice-premiers) is carried out on a rotational basis in the order of the Russian alphabet by one member state for one calendar year without the right of extension.

In 2016, Kazakhstan presides over these bodies.

The Customs Union is an agreement adopted by the participants of the Eurasian Economic Union, the purpose of which is abolition of customs duties in trade relations. Based on these agreements, common ways of carrying out economic activities and a platform for quality assessments and certification are created.

Thanks to this it is achieved abolition of customs controls at the borders within the Union, general provisions for regulating economic activity for the external borders of the CU are concluded. In view of this, a common customs space is being created, using a generally accepted approach to border control. Another distinctive feature is the equality of rights of citizens of the customs area during employment.

In 2020, the Customs Union consists of next members of the EAEU:

  • Republic of Armenia (since 2015);
  • Republic of Belarus (since 2010);
  • Republic of Kazakhstan (since 2010);
  • Kyrgyz Republic (since 2015);
  • Russian Federation (since 2010).

The desire to become a party to this agreement was voiced by Syria and Tunisia. In addition, we know about the proposal to include Turkey in the CU agreement. However, to date, no specific procedures have been adopted for these states to join the Union.

It is clearly visible that the functioning of the Customs Union serves as a good help for strengthening economic relations between countries located on the territory of the former Soviet countries. We can also say that the approach established in the agreement by the participating countries speaks of restoring lost connections in modern conditions.

Customs duties are distributed through a single sharing mechanism.

Given this information, it can be stated that the Customs Union, as we know it today, serves serious tool for the economic unification of countries that are members of the EAEU.

To understand what the activities of the Customs Union are, it will not be amiss to gain an understanding of how it was formed to its current state.

The emergence of the Customs Union was initially presented as one of the steps in the integration of the CIS countries. This was evidenced in the agreement on the creation of an economic union, signed on September 24, 1993.

Step by step moving towards this goal, in 1995, two states (Russia and Belarus) entered into an agreement between themselves on the approval of the Customs Union. Later, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan also entered this group.

More than 10 years later, in 2007, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia signed a pact to unite their territories into a single customs region and approve the Customs Union.

In order to specify the previously concluded agreements, from 2009 to 2010, more than 40 additional agreements were concluded. Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan have decided that, starting in 2012, a Common Market thanks to the unification of countries into a single economic space.

On July 1, 2010, another important agreement was concluded, which put into motion the work of the Customs Code.

On July 1, 2011, the current customs controls at the borders between countries were canceled and general rules were established at the borders with states that are not in the agreement. Until 2013, uniform legislative norms for the parties to the agreement will be formed.

2014 – The Republic of Armenia joins the Customs Union. 2015 – The Republic of Kyrgyzstan joins the Customs Union.

On January 1, 2018, a new unified Customs Code of the EAEU. It was created to automate and simplify a number of customs processes.

Territory and management

The unification of the borders of the Russian Federation, the Republic of Belarus and the Republic of Kazakhstan became the basis for the emergence of the Single Customs Space. This is how the territory of the Customs Union was formed. In addition, it includes certain territories or objects under the jurisdiction of the parties to the agreement.

The limit of the territory is the border of the Customs Union with third-party states. Moreover, the existence of borders for individual territories located under the jurisdiction of the Union member states is normatively established.

The management and coordination of the Eurasian Economic Union is carried out by two organs:

  1. Interstate Council- the highest body of a supranational nature, consists of heads of state and head of government of the Customs Union.
  2. Customs Union Commission– an agency that deals with issues related to the formation of customs rules and regulates foreign trade policy.

Directions and conditions

When creating the Customs Union, countries declared the main goal socio-economic progress. In the future, this implies an increase in trade turnover and services produced by business entities.

The increase in sales was initially expected directly in the space of the vehicle itself due to following conditions:

  1. The abolition of customs procedures within the Union, which was supposed to make products produced within a single space more attractive, due to.
  2. Increasing trade turnover by eliminating customs controls at internal borders.
  3. Adoption of uniform requirements and integration of safety standards.

Achieving goals and perspectives

Having collected available information about the emergence and activities of the Customs Union, we can come to the conclusion that the results of increasing the turnover of goods and services are published much less frequently than news about the signing of new agreements, i.e. its declarative part.

But, nevertheless, analyzing the stated goals when creating the Customs Union, as well as observing their implementation, one cannot remain silent that simplification of trade turnover has been achieved and competitive conditions have been improved for economic entities of the Customs Union states.

It follows from this that the Customs Union is on the way to achieving its goals, however, in addition to time, this requires the mutual interest of both the states themselves and the economic elements within the Union.

The customs union consists of countries that have the same economic background, but today these states are very different from each other. Of course, even in Soviet times, the republics differed in their specialization, but after gaining independence, many more changes occurred that affected the world market and the division of labor.

However, there are also common interests. For example, many participating countries remain dependent on the Russian sales market. This trend is economic and geopolitical in nature.

Throughout the whole time leading positions in the process of integration and stabilization of the EAEU and the Customs Union played Russian Federation. This was possible due to its stable economic growth until 2014, when prices for raw materials remained high, which helped finance the processes launched by the agreements.

Although such a policy did not predict rapid economic growth, it still assumed the strengthening of Russia's position on the world stage.

The history of relations between the parties to the agreements is similar to a series of compromises that were built on the basis of the role of Russia and the positions of partner countries. For example, there were repeated statements from Belarus about its priorities: a single economic space with equal prices for oil and gas, access to Russian government procurement.

To achieve these goals, the Republic increased tariffs on imported cars in the absence of its own production. Because of such measures it was necessary to install rules for certification of light industry goods, which hurt retail trade.

In addition, the standards adopted at the CU level were unified with the WTO model, despite the fact that Belarus is not a member of this organization, unlike Russia. Enterprises of the Republic have not received access to Russian import substitution programs.

All this served as obstacles for Belarus on the path to achieving its goals in full.

It should not be overlooked that the signed CU agreements contain various exceptions, clarifications, anti-dumping and countervailing measures, which have become an obstacle to the achievement of common benefits and equal conditions for all countries. At various times, virtually every participant in the agreement expressed disagreement with the terms contained in the agreements.

Although customs posts on the borders between the parties to the agreement were eliminated, border zones between countries have been preserved. Sanitary control at internal borders also continued. A lack of trust in interaction practice has been revealed. An example of this is the disagreements that flare up from time to time between Russia and Belarus.

Today it is impossible to say that the goals that were declared in the agreement on the creation of the Customs Union have been achieved. This is evident from the decrease in the turnover of goods within the customs area. There are also no economic development benefits when compared with the time before the agreements were signed.

But there are still signs that in the absence of an agreement the situation would deteriorate more rapidly. The manifestation of the crisis would be broader and deeper. A significant number of enterprises gain relative benefits by participating in trade relations within the Customs Union.

Methods for distributing customs duties among countries also indicate favorable trends for the Republic of Belarus and the Republic of Kazakhstan. Initially, a large share was planned for the budget of the Russian Federation.

The agreements signed by the parties benefited the production of automobiles. Duty-free sales of cars assembled by manufacturers in participating countries have become available. Thus, conditions have been created for the implementation of projects that previously could not succeed.

What is the Customs Union? Details are in the video.

International associations make it possible to develop the economies of participating countries, expand markets and obtain other benefits for all interested parties. These and other goals became the reason for the creation of the Customs Union (according to the new version EAEU, transcript - Eurasian Economic Union) in 1995. Today, its permanent participants are 5 states that have adopted general rules for the import and export of products across their borders and comply with a number of conditions of signed international agreements.

What is the correct EAEU decoding and abbreviation?

Very often you can find incorrect abbreviations: “EAS”, “EurAsEC”, “UES”.

The correct reduction is indicated in the documents of one of the main governing bodies of the union of the Eurasian Economic Commission - “EAEU”, and there are no other options.

The old name “Customs Union” ceased to exist on January 1, 2015, along with the signing of the agreement on the creation of the Eurasian Economic Union, but is very often used in everyday life and information sources.

Besides the Commission the structure of the EAEU includes also the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council, whose members are the presidents of the member countries of the union. Heads of government are members of another governing body - the Eurasian Intergovernmental Economic Council. To ensure compliance with the requirements of international treaties, the Court of the Union functions.

EAEU countries: list for 2019, who is included in

The history of the founding of the EAEU began with the unification of 3 states. Now the composition has expanded and not only due to regular participants. Work is also underway to expand the economic space, and other states are showing interest in it. Countries that are part of the EAEU:

  • Russian Federation;
  • Republic of Belarus;
  • Republic of Armenia;
  • The Republic of Kazakhstan;
  • Republic of Kyrgyzstan.

Since 2018, Moldova has received the status of an observer state. Agreements and memorandums, including temporary ones, were signed with China, Cuba, Vietnam, and Iran on a free trade zone. Negotiations are ongoing about cooperation with several other countries around the world. These steps will expand opportunities for the economies of the EAEU member states as a whole and simplify activities for private business and the public sector. For example, certificates of conformity for products in accordance with the technical regulations of the Customs Union (EAEU) do not need to be obtained in each participating country. These documents are recognized in all states from the list above.


Technical regulation and certification

The Eurasian Economic Union is an international organization for regional economic integration that has international legal personality and was established by the Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union. The EAEU ensures freedom of movement of goods, services, capital and labor, as well as the implementation of a coordinated, coordinated or unified policy in sectors of the economy.

The member states of the Eurasian Economic Union are the Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic and the Russian Federation.

The EAEU was created for the purpose of comprehensive modernization, cooperation and increasing the competitiveness of national economies and creating conditions for stable development in the interests of improving the living standards of the population of the member states.

Customs Union of the EAEU

The EAEU Customs Union is a form of trade and economic integration of the participating countries, providing for a single customs territory within which customs duties and economic restrictions are not applied in mutual trade in goods, with the exception of special protective, anti-dumping and countervailing measures. At the same time, member countries of the Customs Union apply uniform customs tariffs and other regulatory measures when trading with third countries.

The single customs territory of the Customs Union consists of the territories of the member countries of the Customs Union, as well as artificial islands, installations, structures and other objects over which the member states of the Customs Union have exclusive jurisdiction.

Member countries of the Customs Union:

  • Kazakhstan - from July 1, 2010
  • Russia - since July 1, 2010
  • Belarus - since July 6, 2010
  • Armenia - since October 10, 2014
  • Kyrgyzstan - since May 8, 2015

Officials of the member states of the Customs Union have repeatedly stated that they view this organization as open to the entry of other countries. Negotiations are already underway with some countries to join the Customs Union, so it is likely that the territory of the Customs Union will soon be significantly expanded.

Technical regulation in the EAEU Customs Union

Technical regulation is one of the key elements of integration of the member states of the Customs Union.

The mechanisms contained in technical regulation make it possible to eliminate numerous, in many cases artificially created, technical barriers to trade, which are a serious problem for business. This is helped by the legal framework created over the past few years, including thanks to the efforts of specialists from the Eurasian Economic Commission.

Within the framework of the Customs Union and the Eurasian Economic Community, the following main international agreements have been adopted to date, designed to simplify the movement of goods on the territory of the participating states:

  • Agreement on the implementation of a coordinated policy in the field of technical regulation, sanitary, veterinary and phytosanitary measures;
  • Agreement on common principles and rules of technical regulation;
  • Agreement on the basis of harmonization of technical regulations;
  • Agreement on the application of the Unified Mark of Product Circulation on the market of the EAEU Member States;
  • Agreement on the creation of an EAEU information system in the field of technical regulation, sanitary, veterinary and phytosanitary measures;
  • Agreement on the circulation of products subject to mandatory assessment (confirmation) of conformity in the territory of the Customs Union;
  • Agreement on mutual recognition of accreditation of certification bodies (conformity assessment) and testing laboratories (centers) performing conformity assessment work.

You can obtain detailed information about technical regulation in the EAEU Customs Union from a special brochure prepared by specialists of the Eurasian Economic Commission:

Brochure of the Eurasian Economic Commission (PDF, 3.4 MB)

Member States of the Customs Union

The Customs Union (CU) is an official association based on the agreement of the participating countries on the abolition of customs borders between them, and accordingly the abolition of duties. Also, the basis for the functioning of the union is the use of a single tariff for all other states. As a result, the Customs Union has created a huge single customs territory, within which goods are moved without the expense of crossing customs borders.

Although the Customs Union was legally created in 2010, it actually began to work only on July 1, 2011, when acts on the creation of a single customs territory came into force in the participating countries, and all control and regulatory bodies were created and began to operate. At the moment, five states are members of the CU - Russia, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Belarus and Kyrgyzstan. Several other countries are official candidates to join the organization or are considering doing so.

Russia

The Russian Federation is the initiator and basis of the CU. This country has the most powerful economy among all participating countries, and within the Union it has the opportunity to increase the competitiveness of its goods within the common market, which, according to experts, will give it additional profits in less than 10 years, totaling $400 billion.

Kazakhstan

For Kazakhstan, participation in the Customs Union is primarily good because it allows it to enter an association that provides a total of up to 16% of world grain exports. Working in the same field, Kazakhstan and Russia had the opportunity to significantly influence the world grain market, changing its conditions in their favor. In addition, the rapidly developing agricultural industry of Kazakhstan in this way managed to significantly strengthen its position in the Russian Federation and other countries of the association.

Belarus

For Belarus, which has long been partially integrated with Russia into a single customs and economic field, participation in the Customs Union made it possible to expand the geography of preferential supplies of its products to several more countries, and also increased the influx of investments, in particular from Kazakhstan. According to experts, participation in the Customs Union annually brings Belarus up to $2 billion in additional profit.

Armenia and Kyrgyzstan

These countries have recently become members of the Customs Union. Their involvement made it possible to further strengthen the association’s position in the global energy market. These same countries have received preferential access to markets, the total volume of which significantly exceeds their economic capabilities, so they are predicted to accelerate GDP growth and the general well-being of the population.

In general, the Customs Union is considered as a mutually beneficial economic partnership of geographically and mentally close countries that have equal rights and opportunities within the framework of the association. Considering the prospects for the accession of new members, we can expect that in the near future the CU will become an even more powerful and influential economic bloc.

Eurasian Union

Eurasian Union is an integration project in the Eurasian space, the goal of which is the economic and political rapprochement of post-Soviet countries (at the same time, this association could potentially attract many other Eurasian countries outside the former USSR). To date Eurasian integration implemented in the form of a number of unions at different levels, the most important of which are the EAEU Customs Union and the Eurasian Economic Union.

On May 29, 2014, a more advanced form of integration was created on the basis of the Customs Union and the Common Economic Space - Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU, EurAsEC), which began its work on January 1, 2015. The Chairman of the EAEU in 2015 was Belarus, and in 2016 - Kazakhstan.

At the EAEU level, a common market of 183 million people was formed. The union states - Kazakhstan, Russia and Belarus, as well as Armenia and Kyrgyzstan - pledged to guarantee the free movement of goods and services, capital and labor, as well as to implement a coordinated policy in energy, industry, agriculture, and transport.

[edit] History of Eurasian integration

In ancient times, on the territory of Eurasia in the areas of what is now Central and Central Asia, Southern Siberia, the Black Sea region, the Caucasus and the South of European Russia, there were large state formations of a number of peoples. It is in this Eurasian area that, according to the most common hypotheses, the historical ancestral homelands of the Indo-Europeans are located (the Indo-European peoples include the Slavs, Armenians, Ossetians, Tajiks, etc.), the Turks (Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Tatars, Uzbeks, etc.) and Finno-Ugric peoples ( Karelians, Mordvins, Udmurts, Mari, Komi, etc.). In the space of Eurasia, the Scythians, Sarmatians, Huns, Turks, Khazars, and Mongols created their own empire states.

Since the 16th century, Russia has become the largest state in the Eurasian space (in the 20th century - the Soviet Union). With the arrival of Russia in Eurasia, it became possible to unite this most important geopolitical region on the basis of agriculture and industrial production, while the Eurasian traditions of pastoralism and nomadic farming were largely preserved. The disintegration of the USSR in the 1990s disrupted the established economic ties, which led to a deep and prolonged socio-economic crisis, from which some post-Soviet states have still not emerged. It is very characteristic that the collapse of the Soviet Union was most opposed by Kazakhstan and some other Asian republics of the USSR.

The initiator of Eurasian reintegration can rightfully be considered the President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev, who in March 1994 presented the project of the Eurasian Union, which at the first stage was to include Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. However, at that time, the destructive political processes in the post-Soviet space were still too strong, and full integration had to be postponed. Nevertheless, the unification process began. In 1995, the leaders of Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, and a little later Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan signed the first agreement on plans to create a customs union.

Full-fledged Eurasian integration became possible with the coming to power in Russia of Vladimir Putin, who supported the ideas of Nursultan Nazarbayev; they were also supported by the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko (by January 26, 2000, the Union State of Russia and Belarus was created as a special integration association).

[edit] Chronology of integration

  • October 10, 2000- in Astana (Kazakhstan), the heads of state (Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan) signed the Treaty establishing the Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC). The Treaty lays down the concept of close and effective trade and economic cooperation to achieve the goals and objectives defined by the Treaty on the Customs Union and the Common Economic Space. EurAsEC became the first effective organization ensuring the integration process in the Eurasian space.
  • May 30, 2001- the agreement on the creation came into force EurAsEC consisting of Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. In 2006-2008 Uzbekistan also participated in the EurAsEC; since 2002, Ukraine and Moldova received observer status, and since 2003, Armenia.
  • February 23, 2003- the presidents of Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus and Ukraine announced their intention to form a Common Economic Space (CES).
  • October 6, 2007- the EurAsEC summit was held in Dushanbe (Tajikistan), at which the concept of the Customs Union of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus was adopted. Created Customs Union Commission- a single permanent regulatory body of the EurAsEC Customs Union (in 2012, powers were transferred to the Eurasian Commission).
  • July 6, 2010- agreements on Customs Union (CU) as part of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus, earned Unified Customs Code.
  • December 9, 2010- Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus signed all 17 documents on the creation Common Economic Space (SES)(agreements on common rules of competition, on the regulation of support for agriculture and industrial subsidies, on the regulation of railway transport, services and investments, on the protection of intellectual property, on the rules of technical regulation, on government procurement, on the status of migrants and combating illegal migration from third countries , on coordinated macroeconomic and monetary policies, on the free movement of capital, on the regulation of natural monopolies and access to their services, on the creation of a single market for oil and petroleum products).
  • July 1, 2011- earned Single customs territory Customs Union: customs control has been abolished on the borders of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus (it has been moved to the outer contour of the borders of the Customs Union).
  • October 18, 2011- in St. Petersburg, following a meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of the Commonwealth countries, an Agreement on CIS free trade zone. The CIS FTA provides for “minimizing exceptions from the range of goods to which import duties apply”; export duties must be fixed at a certain level, and subsequently phased out.
  • November 18, 2011- an agreement on the creation of the Eurasian Economic Commission was signed.
  • January 1, 2012- as a result of the entry into force of the relevant agreement, a Common Economic Space (SES) as a common market of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan (since 2014 - SES of the Eurasian Economic Union), earned Eurasian Commission. The purpose of the SES is to ensure the “four freedoms” - the movement of goods, capital, services and labor - as well as ensuring the beginnings of coordination of the economic policies of the participating states in relation to macroeconomics, finance, transport and energy, trade, industry and agriculture.
  • September 20, 2012- the agreement on CIS FTA between Belarus, Russia and Ukraine - the first three countries to ratify it. In 2012-2013 The treaty was also ratified by Kazakhstan, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan and Moldova; in a special order, Uzbekistan joined the FTA, and Tajikistan, although it signed the treaty, did not ratify it.
  • May 29, 2014- Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan signed agreement on the establishment of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).
  • October 10, 2014- Armenia joined the Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union. The EurAsEC organization was liquidated in connection with the fulfillment of its mission and the formation of the Eurasian Economic Union.
  • December 23, 2014- Kyrgyzstan joined (signed accession agreements) to the Eurasian Economic Union. Armenia's accession to the EAEU was approved.
  • January 1, 2015- the agreement on the EAEU came into force, thus The Eurasian Economic Union was created.
  • May 8, 2015- Presidents of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Armenia signed documents on Kyrgyzstan's accession to the Treaty on the EAEU.
  • May 14, 2015- Iran plans to join the free trade zone with the EAEU
  • May 25, 2015 - an agreement on a free trade zone was signed between the EAEU and Vietnam.
  • May 27, 2015- Egypt has submitted an application to create a free trade zone with the EAEU.
  • August 12, 2015- The Eurasian Union has abolished the customs border with Kyrgyzstan.

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[edit] Eurasian Economic Union

On May 29, 2014, in Astana, the presidents of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan signed an agreement on the creation of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), which will come into force on January 1, 2015. On October 10, 2014, Armenia joined the union (accession agreements were signed), and on December 24, 2014, Kyrgyzstan joined (accession agreements were also signed).

Thus, at the moment, the formation of a common market of 183 million people has been completed, integration is increasing compared to integration at the level of the Customs Union. The union states undertake to guarantee the free movement of goods and services, capital and labor, as well as to implement coordinated policies in key sectors of the economy: energy, industry, agriculture, transport.

[edit] Composition of the EAEU

  • Armenia(since October 10, 2014)
  • Belarus(since May 29, 2014)
  • Kazakhstan(since May 29, 2014)
  • Kyrgyzstan(since December 23, 2014)
  • Russia(since May 29, 2014)
  • Moldova- has the status of an observer state in the Eurasian Economic Union (since April 14, 2017)

Other potential participants

  • Tajikistan- in 2012, he announced his intention to join the Customs Union and the EAEU after Kyrgyzstan.
  • Mongolia

On July 21, 2015, Syria announced its desire to join the EAEU. On August 11, 2016, Tunisia also announced a similar intention through its ambassador to the Russian Federation.

[edit] Integration levels

[edit] Common Economic Space

On January 1, 2012, the Common Economic Space of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan was created, which at that time became the closest form of integration of these countries. Key points of the agreements on the SES came into force in July 2012. The Customs Union is part of the agreements on the SES.

The SES is designed to ensure freedom of movement of goods, capital, services and labor between member states. The goal is also to ensure the beginnings of coordination of macroeconomics and the financial sector, transport and energy, trade, industrial and agro-industrial complexes and other important areas of the economy.

The composition of the SES is the same as that of the Eurasian Economic Union (Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia). Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Abkhazia also express interest in joining the SES.

[edit] Customs Union

Customs Union of the EAEU(until 2014 - the Customs Union of the Eurasian Economic Community, CU EurAsEC) - one of the forms of economic integration in the post-Soviet space. Among the people and the media, this organization is simply called “TS”. It was the term “Customs Union” in 2010-2014. was most often mentioned in the media when discussing economic integration in the post-Soviet space.

The main body of the Customs Union of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia is the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council, which includes the heads of state and government of the Customs Union. At the level of heads of state, the council meets at least once a year, at the level of heads of government - at least twice a year. Decisions are made by consensus and become binding in all participating states.

The functions of the regulatory body have been performed by the Eurasian Economic Commission since January 1, 2012.

[edit] Vehicle composition

Currently, the Customs Union includes the following states:

[edit] Candidates for membership in the CU

  • Tajikistan- in 2012, he announced his intention to join the Customs Union and the EAEU after Kyrgyzstan. The entry of Kyrgyzstan was delayed, but it took place. Negotiations with Tajikistan are also dragging on.
  • Mongolia- announced its intention to join the Customs Union and the EAEU in 2016.
  • Moldova- On April 14, 2017, it received the status of an observer state at the Eurasian Economic Union. Since, as of 2017, in Moldova the president is in favor of Eurasian integration, and the parliament is against it, the further fate of integration with Moldova depends on the development of the internal situation in this country.
    • Gagauzia- at a referendum held in 2014, she advocated joining the Customs Union. It should be taken into account that Gagauz autonomy is not an independent country either de jure or de facto. This is an autonomous republic within Moldova.
  • Syria- also announced its desire to join the Customs Union back in 2010. Currently, preparations are being made for the signing of an agreement on a free trade zone between Syria and the Customs Union.

A number of unrecognized or partially recognized states also want to join the CU (due to their status, they face obstacles in realizing their intentions):

  • Abkhazia- On February 16, 2010, she informally announced her desire to join the Customs Union.
  • South Ossetia- On October 15, 2013, she announced her intention to join the Customs Union.
  • Donetsk People's Republic
  • Lugansk People's Republic- in 2014 announced its intention to join the Customs Union.
  • Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic- On February 16, 2012, she announced her intention to join the Customs Union.

Former potential candidates

  • Ukraine- according to its long-standing tradition, the Ukrainian leadership tried to sit on two chairs at the same time, moving closer to both the European Union and the Customs Union, but the CU member states made it clear that such a development of events is unacceptable. Currently, the issue of joining the Customs Union has been stalled due to the civil war in Ukraine. The current Ukrainian leadership has set a course for the so-called “European association”, which involves the introduction of European rules and regulations in Ukraine, as well as the opening of the domestic market for European manufacturers. In fact, this is destroying and in many ways has already destroyed the remnants of the high-tech industry in Ukraine (Ukrainian exporters lost 29% of exports to Russia in 2014, missing $3.9 billion, while exports to the EU grew by only $1 billion (mainly in agriculture ).

[edit] Free trade zone

On September 20, 2012, the free trade area of ​​the commonwealth countries (CIS FTA) began operating between Belarus, Russia and Ukraine, which ratified the agreement. In 2012-2013 The treaty was also ratified by Kazakhstan, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan and Moldova, Uzbekistan joined the FTA in a special manner, and Tajikistan signed the treaty, but has not yet ratified it.

A free trade area would "minimize exceptions to goods subject to import duties" and export duties would first be fixed and then phased out.

Agreements on a free trade zone bilaterally by individual EAEU countries were also signed with Serbia (a free trade regime has been in effect between Serbia and Russia since 2000, with Belarus - since March 31, 2009, with Kazakhstan - since October 7, 2010). The agreement with Vietnam was signed on May 25, 2015. On May 27, 2015, Egypt submitted an application to form an FTA with the EAEU.

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In 2014, it was planned to sign a similar agreement on a free trade area with New Zealand (now in question due to New Zealand’s participation in anti-Russian sanctions). Negotiations on concluding such agreements are also underway with the European Free Trade Association (Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein) , Israel, India, Syria, Montenegro and a number of Latin American countries.

In total, up to 40 countries intend to join the free trade zone with the EAEU; as of the beginning of 2017, about 50 countries expressed a desire to cooperate with the EAEU.

[edit] Countries that have signed the FTA

  • Vietnam- the agreement was signed on May 29, 2015. Came into force 60 days after ratification in accordance with national legislation by all EAEU countries and Vietnam. The law on ratification of the FTA agreement was signed on May 2, 2016 by Russian President Vladimir Putin. On May 31, the law on ratification of the FTA agreement was signed by the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, and on June 2 by the President of Kyrgyzstan Almazbek Atambayev.

[edit] FTA at the negotiation stage

  • Egypt- the application was submitted on May 27, 2015.
  • Thailand- On April 1, 2016, Russia and Thailand began negotiations on the creation of a free trade zone.
  • Iran- Negotiations began in 2015.
  • Mongolia- will begin the stage of negotiations on a free trade zone and possible accession in the fall of 2016.
  • Serbia- is negotiating the creation of an FTA with the EAEU

[edit] Expressed interest in cooperation

[edit] What does joining the EAEU give?

The EAEU is intended to improve economic interaction and significantly simplify the lives of citizens of Eurasian countries in a number of respects:

  • Customs control procedures will be weakened or eliminated.
  • Economic, transport, energy, and migration policies will be coordinated.
  • Legislation regarding doing business and trade will be partially unified.
  • On June 19, 2015, it was announced that international roaming would be canceled within the EAEU.

[edit] Reaction of Western countries

Western politicians are by no means enthusiastic about the prospect of economic and political reintegration in the post-Soviet space. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, for example, said that “the United States will try to prevent the re-creation of the Soviet Union.”

The only thing the United States has achieved so far in obstructing Eurasian integration is organizing a coup in Ukraine in February 2014, as a result of which the country actually collapsed during the Ukrainian crisis. At the same time, the part of Ukraine that remained under the control of American puppets was imposed a suicidal course of breaking economic ties with the Russian Federation and “European association” with the EU. The collapse of Ukrainian industry and a serious energy crisis were clearly evident already in 2014.

Despite such clear intentions and actions of the United States, European political scientists believe that Russia will be able to expand its borders to approximately Soviet size in the next 20-30 years.

Putin, meanwhile, does not miss the opportunity to tease Europeans who are now suffering from separatist sentiments, hinting at inviting certain European countries to the Customs Union. Nazarbayev allows Turkey to be involved in Eurasian integration.

Countries of the Customs Union: list

In the modern world, many countries unite into unions - political, economic, religious and others. One of the largest such unions was the Soviet Union. Now we see the emergence of the European, Eurasian, and also Customs unions.

The Customs Union was positioned as a form of trade and economic integration of a number of countries, which provides not only a common customs territory for mutually beneficial trade with the absence of duties, etc., but also a number of points regulating trade with third countries. This agreement was signed on October 6, 2007 in Dushanbe; at the time of its conclusion, the union included the Russian Federation, Kazakhstan and Belarus.

The first article of the contract on the movement of goods within this territory states the following:

  • There is no customs duty. And not only for goods of own production, but also for cargo from third countries.
  • There are no economic restrictions other than compensatory and anti-dumping ones.
  • The countries of the Customs Union apply a single customs tariff.

Current countries and candidates

There are both permanent member countries of the Customs Union that were its founders or joined later, and those that have only expressed a desire to join.

Candidates for membership:

TS managers

There was a special CU commission, which was approved at the time of signing the agreement on the Customs Union. Its rules were the basis of the legal activities of the organization. The structure worked and remained within these legal frameworks until July 1, 2012, that is, until the creation of the EEC. The highest body of the union at that time was a group of representatives of the heads of state (Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (Russian Federation), Nursultan Abishevich Nazarbayev (Republic of Kazakhstan) and Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko (Republic of Belarus)).

The following prime ministers were represented at the level of heads of government:

  • Russia – Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev;
  • Kazakhstan – Karim Kazhimkanovich Masimov;
  • Belarus - Sergei Sergeevich Sidorsky.

Purpose of the Customs Union

The countries of the Customs Union, with the main goal of creating a single regulatory body, meant the formation of a common territory, which would include several states, and all duties on products would be abolished on their territory.

The second goal was to protect one’s own interests and markets, first of all, from harmful, poor-quality, and also competitive products, which makes it possible to smooth out all the shortcomings in the trade and economic sphere. This is very important, since protecting the interests of one’s own states, taking into account the opinions of the members of the union, is a priority for any country.

Benefits and prospects

First of all, the benefits are obvious for those enterprises that can easily purchase from neighboring countries. Most likely, these will only be large corporations and companies. As for future prospects, contrary to some economists’ forecasts that the Customs Union will entail a decrease in wages in participating countries, at the official level the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan announced an increase in wages in the state in 2015.

That is why the world experience of such large economic entities cannot be attributed to this case. Countries that have joined the Customs Union can expect, if not rapid, but stable growth in economic ties.

Agreement

The final version of the Agreement on the Customs Code of the Customs Union was adopted only at the tenth meeting, 10.26.2009. This pact spoke of the creation of special groups that would monitor activities to bring the revised draft treaty into effect.

The countries of the Customs Union had until July 1, 2010 to make changes to their legislation to eliminate contradictions between this Code and the Constitution. Thus, another contact group was created to resolve problems arising from differences between national legal systems.

All the nuances related to the territories of the Customs Union were also finalized.

Territory of the Customs Union

The countries of the Customs Union have a common customs territory, which is determined by the borders of the states that have entered into an agreement and are members of the organization. The Customs Code, among other things, determines the expiration date of the commission, which was July 1, 2012. Thus, a more serious organization was created, which has much more powers and, accordingly, more people on its staff in order to fully control all processes. On January 1, 2012, the Eurasian Economic Commission (EAEC) officially began its work.

The Eurasian Economic Union includes member countries of the Customs Union: the founders - Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan - and the recently joined states, Kyrgyzstan and Armenia.

The establishment of the EAEU implies a wider range of relationships in the freedom of movement of labor, capital, services and goods. Also, a coordinated economic policy of all countries must be constantly pursued, and a transition to a single customs tariff must be carried out.

The total budget of this union is formed exclusively in Russian rubles, thanks to the share contributions made by all member countries of the Customs Union. Their size is regulated by the Supreme Council, which consists of the heads of these states.

Russian has become the working language for the regulations of all documents, and the headquarters will be located in Moscow. The financial regulator of the EAEU is in Almaty, and the court is in the capital of Belarus, Minsk.

Bodies of the Union

The highest regulatory body is the Supreme Council, which includes the heads of participating states.

A judicial body was also created, which is responsible for the application of treaties within the Union.

The Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) is a regulatory body that provides all the conditions for the development and functioning of the Union, as well as the development of new proposals in the economic sphere regarding the format of the EAEU. It consists of the Ministers of the Commission (deputy prime ministers of the Union member states) and the Chairman.

Main provisions of the Treaty on the EAEU

Of course, the EAEU, compared to the CU, has not only broader powers, but also a much more extensive and specific list of planned work. This document no longer has any general plans, and for each specific task the path for its implementation is determined and a special working group is created that will not only monitor the implementation, but also control its entire progress.

In the resulting agreement, the countries of the single Customs Union, and now the EAEU, secured an agreement on coordinated work and the creation of common energy markets. The work on energy policy is quite large-scale and will be implemented in several stages until 2025.

The document also regulates the creation of a common market for medical devices and medicines by January 1, 2016.

Great importance is attached to transport policy on the territory of the EAEU states, without which it will not be possible to create a single joint action plan. The development of a coordinated agro-industrial policy is envisaged, which includes the mandatory formation of veterinary and phytosanitary measures.

A coordinated macroeconomic policy provides an opportunity to translate all planned plans and agreements into reality. In such conditions, general principles of interaction are developed and the effective development of countries is ensured.

Eurasian Economic Union (hereinafter - EAEU)- an international organization for regional economic integration with international legal personality and established by the Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union. The EAEU ensures freedom of movement of goods, services, capital and labor, as well as the implementation of a coordinated, consistent and unified policy in sectors of the economy.

The goals of creating the EAEU are:

  • comprehensive modernization, cooperation and increasing the competitiveness of national economies;
  • creating conditions for the stable development of the economies of the member states in the interests of improving the living standards of their population.

Within the EAEU:

In relation to third EAEU countries, uniform non-tariff regulation measures are applied, such as:

  • prohibition of import and (or) export of goods;
  • quantitative restrictions on the import and (or) export of goods;
  • exclusive right to export and (or) import goods;
  • automatic licensing (supervision) of export and (or) import of goods;
  • permitting procedure for the import and (or) export of goods.

Member states of the Eurasian Economic Union

History of the formation of the Eurasian Economic Union

The official start date for the formation of the Customs Union can be considered 1995, when an Agreement on the creation of the Union was concluded between the Russian Federation, the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Republic of Belarus. The purpose of this Agreement was to establish economic interaction between the parties, ensure free exchange of goods and fair competition.

On February 26, 1999, the Agreement on the Customs Union and the Common Economic Space was signed. The parties to the Treaty were Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and since 2006 - Uzbekistan. Until the early 2000s, the participating countries were actively engaged in the process of establishing cooperation in various fields of activity (including sociocultural, scientific).

In 2000, a decision was made to establish the Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC). The members of the community were the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Russian Federation and the Republic of Tajikistan.

In 2003, the Agreement on the formation of the Common Economic Space (SES) was signed. Work began on preparing the legal framework for the SES, which later became the basis for the functioning of the Union. The most important events in the process of forming the Customs Union were two informal summits of the heads of state of the EurAsEC.

At an informal summit on August 16, 2006, the heads of state of the EurAsEC decided to form a Customs Union within the EurAsEC, according to which Kazakhstan, Belarus and Russia were instructed to prepare a legal framework. A year later, on October 6, 2007, at the EurAsEC summit, a package of documents was approved and signed, marking the beginning of the creation of the legal framework of the Customs Union (agreements on the creation of the Single Customs Territory and the formation of the Customs Union, on the Commission of the Customs Union, protocols on amendments to the Treaty on the Establishment EurAsEC, on the procedure for the entry into force of international treaties aimed at forming the legal framework of the customs union, withdrawal from them and accession to them). In addition, an Action Plan for the formation of a customs union within the EurAsEC was approved.

Officially, on January 1, 2010, the Customs Union of the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation began to function. The united states began to apply a single customs tariff and uniform non-tariff regulation measures in foreign trade with third countries, and also streamlined tariff benefits and preferences for goods from third countries, and the Customs Code of the Customs Union came into force. Gradually, customs clearance and customs control began to be abolished at the internal borders of the participating countries of the Customs Union, and points for accepting notifications were eliminated.

In 2012, international treaties came into force, forming the legal basis for the Common Economic Space of the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation, creating the basis for the free movement of not only goods, but also services, capital and labor.

With the signing of the Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union on May 29, 2014, the participating countries of the Customs Union and the Common Economic Space marked the beginning of a new, closer interaction. On October 10, 2014, the Republic of Armenia joined the Treaty on the EAEU. On December 23, 2014, the Treaty on the Accession of the Kyrgyz Republic to the EAEU was signed.

Structure of the unified customs legislation of the Eurasian Economic Union

In connection with the formation of the regulatory legal framework of the Eurasian Economic Union, the customs legislation of the participating states is changing. First of all, in addition to the current national legislation, two more levels of regulation have appeared: international agreements of the member states of the Customs Union and Decisions of the Customs Union Commission (currently the Eurasian Economic Commission). At the moment, the customs legislation of the EAEU is a four-level system:

Customs Code of the Eurasian Economic Union

The transition to a higher level of integration required major changes in the legal and regulatory framework of the Union. Work on the creation of a new Customs Code took several years; the process required numerous approvals of amendments by the Union member states. On December 26, 2016, the Customs Code of the Eurasian Economic Union was adopted, which replaced the Customs Code of the Customs Union adopted in 2009. The new EAEU Labor Code came into force on January 1, 2018. The document combines many international treaties and agreements of the Customs Union (for example, the Agreement on determining the customs value of goods moved across the customs border of the Customs Union), which will lose force in whole or in part.

The EAEU Customs Code contains a number of new provisions relating not only to the structure of the Code itself (the new EAEU Customs Code contains 4 appendices, which were not in the CU Customs Code), but also to the rules of customs regulation in the Union. Thus, in the draft EAEU Customs Code, the conceptual apparatus was updated, the “single window” principle was introduced, the priority of electronic declaration was declared, some changes were made to customs procedures, the institution of an authorized economic operator was reformed, etc.

Governing bodies of the Eurasian Economic Union

The governing bodies of the EAEU are:

  • Supreme Eurasian Economic Council (supreme governing body)
  • Eurasian Intergovernmental Council
  • Eurasian Economic Commission (working permanent body)
  • Court of the Eurasian Economic Union

Directions of activity of the Eurasian Economic Commission.



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