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countries of the Eurasian Union. Eurasian Economic Union. Purposes and history of creation. Eurasian Economic Commission

The Eurasian Economic Union is an international organization of regional economic integration with international legal personality and established by the Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union.

List of member countries of the Customs Union in 2018

The EAEU ensures the freedom of movement of goods, services, capital and labor, as well as the conduct of a coordinated, coordinated or unified policy in the 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 order to improve the living standards of the population of the member states.

Customs Union of the EAEU

The Customs Union of the EAEU 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, the member countries of the Customs Union apply uniform customs tariffs and other regulatory measures when trading with third countries.

The unified 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 in respect of which the Member States of the Customs Union have exclusive jurisdiction.

Member countries of the Customs Union:

  • Kazakhstan - from July 1, 2010
  • Russia - from July 1, 2010
  • Belarus - from 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 consider 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 be significantly expanded in the near future.

Technical regulation in the EAEU Customs Union

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

The mechanisms incorporated 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 facilitated 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 treaties have been adopted to date, designed to simplify the movement of goods on the territory of the member states:

  • Agreement on the implementation of a coordinated policy in the field of technical regulation, sanitary, veterinary and phytosanitary measures;
  • Agreement on unified principles and rules of technical regulation;
  • Agreement on the basics of harmonization of technical regulations;
  • Agreement on the use of the Unified Mark of Products Circulation on the Market of the EAEU Member States;
  • Agreement on the creation of an information system of the EAEU 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 work on conformity assessment.

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

Eurasian Economic Union

1. Participation in the work to improve the customs legislation of the EAEU, including the development and implementation of the provisions of the Customs Code of the EAEU

The main direction of cooperation between the customs services of the Member States Eurasian Economic Union(EAEU) at present is the improvement of the contractual and legal framework in the field of customs regulation.

From January 1, 2018, the Customs Code of the EAEU comes into force. The FCS of Russia is actively involved in the preparation of draft EEC decisions provided for by the new code.

The customs services of 5 countries are closely cooperating within the framework of the meetings of the Consultative Committee on Customs Regulation under the EEC, as well as in the work on the coordination of draft decisions of the EEC.

2. Participation in the work of the Joint Board of Customs Services of the Member States of the Customs Union

The Joint Board of Customs Services of the Member States of the Customs Union (hereinafter referred to as the Joint Board) coordinates the practical actions of the customs services of the EAEU Member States as part of the application of uniform principles of customs administration, acts as a platform for discussing and developing mutually acceptable unified solutions, as well as promptly resolving problems in the field of customs Affairs.

The Joint Board was formed in accordance with the Agreement between the governments of the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation dated 06/22/2011. In 2015, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan joined the Treaty.

Chairman of the Joint Board - Head of the Federal Customs Service of the Russian Federation.

The Deputy Chairmen of the Joint Board are the heads of customs services of all EAEU Member States.

The functions of the working apparatus - the Secretariat of the Joint Collegium - are performed by the customs service of the Russian Federation.

The main tasks of the Joint Board are:

– coordination of the activities of the customs services of countries within the framework of the EAEU;

— participation in the formation of a unified legal framework of the EAEU on customs matters insofar as it relates to the competence of national customs services;

— ensuring the uniform application of the customs legislation of the EAEU within its competence;

— ensuring a unified procedure for organizing customs clearance and customs control of goods and vehicles and facilitating the implementation of customs policy in the common customs territory of the EAEU.

Under the Joint Board, 9 working groups have been created in the most important areas of customs administration, including on the classification of goods, protection of intellectual property, on customs expertise and expert research, on the development of a risk management system in the customs authorities of the EAEU member states, on the development and application customs control after the release of goods, on issues of improving the procedure for administering customs and other payments collected by customs authorities, and other issues.

The creation of the Joint Board made it possible to effectively, promptly and on uniform principles solve a wide range of practical issues of the functioning of the Union, develop uniform customs technologies and apply them uniformly.

In 2017, 4 meetings of the Joint Board were held, as a result of which 99 decisions were made on issues of practical interaction between the customs services of the EAEU member states, simplification of customs administration and unity of law enforcement practice.

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The Republic of Kazakhstan is the initiator and active participant of many integration processes. For the first time, the idea of ​​Eurasian integration was voiced by the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan N.A. Nazarbayev in 1994. At first, this initiative, which at that time seemed revolutionary, was perceived ambiguously. However, over time, it received more support and development.

As a result, at the first stage, the Customs Union was created, then the Common Economic Space, and on January 1, 2015, the Eurasian Economic Union was launched, the founders of which were Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia. In the same year, the Republic of Armenia and the Kyrgyz Republic became full members of the EAEU.

Along with the European Union, the formation of which began in the middle of the 20th century, the EAEU became the second example of a full-fledged economic union in the world.

The EAEU is not a political association. In the course of work on the Treaty on the Union, the member states of the EAEU deliberately refused to politicize it and include issues affecting national sovereignty in the competence of the Union. Within the framework of the EAEU, issues of exclusively economic cooperation are considered, as well as the principle of sovereign equality, equality and consideration of the national interests of its member states.

The EAEU is an international organization for regional economic integration based on the agreements reached by states within the framework of the Customs Union and the Common Economic Space.

Within the framework of the EAEU, the freedom of movement of goods, services, capital and labor is ensured, the conduct of a coordinated, coordinated or unified policy in the sectors of the economy defined by the Treaty on the EAEU of May 29, 2014 and international treaties within the Union.

The main objectives of the EAEU are to create conditions for the stable development of the economies of the member states of the Union 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, as well as comprehensive modernization, cooperation and increasing the competitiveness of national economies in the global economy.

The economic potential of Eurasian integration is very high. The total volume of the economies of states is more than 2.2 trillion US dollars, with a population of more than 182 million people.

In the context of continental "isolation" the most important systemic aspect for the growth of the economy of Kazakhstan and its diversification is the reduction of transport costs. Within the framework of the EAEU, agreements on access to infrastructure and domestic tariffs of partner countries for the transportation of goods allowed Kazakhstani businesses to reduce transportation costs. Accordingly, the competitiveness of Kazakhstani products in foreign markets has increased.

Uniform principles of technical regulation, a common system of veterinary, sanitary and phytosanitary safety make it possible to move products across the territory of the Member States according to uniform requirements and on equal terms.

Citizens and businesses of the EAEU member states have already become tangible benefits from the free movement of labor. Ordinary citizens of the Union countries can work in any of the Member States without obtaining work permits, use educational documents without the procedure for their recognition.

In 2016, a package of documents was adopted that is necessary for the formation of a single market for medicines and medical devices, which will increase the volume of production of Kazakhstani pharmaceutical products, create additional jobs, and for consumers - reduce prices and improve the quality of medicines produced in the territory of the Union Member States.

By 2019, a common electricity market will be formed, which will provide an effective pricing system, increase the volume of electricity production and the export component of the countries' energy systems. Within the framework of the common electricity market, the probability of electricity shortages will decrease.

Within the framework of the EAEU, agreements were reached on the formation by 2025 of a common market for oil and oil products. It provides for the non-use of export customs duties and restrictions in mutual trade. In addition, by 2025 access to the gas transmission infrastructure will be provided. Kazakhstan is interested in solving these issues.

Arrangements on access to the infrastructure of partner countries will reduce the transport costs of our exporters. Accordingly, the competitiveness of Kazakhstani products, which are exported, including to European countries, will increase. There are interconnected systems for the supply of oil and oil products between the EAEU member states. The application of general terms of trade without barriers will ensure stability and balance in the functioning of these systems.

In the context of a slowdown in global economic growth, Kazakhstan's participation in the Eurasian economic integration creates the necessary foundation for diversifying the economy and increasing labor productivity.

In addition, efforts in the activities of the EAEU are focused on enhancing international contacts. The expansion of trade and economic ties with key partners and new growing markets should become an impetus for enhancing the role of the EAEU throughout the continent. Evidence of the attractiveness of the EAEU is the interest of more than 30 countries in the world in signing agreements with the EAEU on the creation of a free trade zone.

Currently, more than 25 memorandums on cooperation and interaction of the EAEU with various countries, including Mongolia, Chile, Peru, Singapore and Cambodia, have been signed.

On October 5, 2016, the Free Trade Agreement with Vietnam came into force, which is the first preferential agreement within the EAEU. There is a mandate to negotiate with China, Israel and Serbia. At a meeting of the Supreme Council on December 26, 2016 in St. Petersburg, decisions were approved to start negotiations on concluding free trade agreements with Iran, India, Egypt and Singapore. Partners from South America and South Korea are also showing interest in cooperation with the Union.

A search is being made for common ground with the European Union and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. A course has been set for conjugation of the EAEU and the Chinese initiative "The Economic Belt of the Silk Road".

In general, Kazakhstan always stands for the progressive development of integration in the wide space of Eurasia, which, in our opinion, gives a powerful multiplicative impetus to global economic development.

Cooperation within the EAEU is carried out in such areas as:

Customs-tariff and non-tariff regulation;

Customs regulation;

Technical regulation;

Sanitary, veterinary-sanitary and quarantine phytosanitary measures;

Enrollment and distribution of import customs duties;

Establishment of trade regimes for third parties;

Statistics of foreign and mutual trade;

macroeconomic policy;

Competition policy;

Industrial and agricultural subsidies;

energy policy;

Natural monopolies;

State and (or) municipal purchases;

Mutual trade in services and investments;

Transport and transportation;

Monetary policy;

Intellectual property;

Work migration;

Financial markets (banking, insurance, foreign exchange market, securities market).

The EAEU bodies are the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council (heads of member states), the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council (heads of governments of member states), the Eurasian Economic Commission (Commission), as well as the EAEU Court, which is located in Minsk.

The Commission consists of 2 levels - the Council and the Collegium. The Council is represented by five deputy prime ministers of the member states. The Board of the Commission consists of 10 people, 2 representatives from each state. Location of the Commission - Moscow. The representative of the Republic of Armenia, Tigran Sargsyan, was elected as the Chairman of the Board for a four-year period (since February 1, 2016).

All decisions taken by the Supreme, Intergovernmental Councils and the Council of the Commission are taken by consensus, which makes it possible to take into account the interests of each member state.

The Board of the Commission has a mechanism for making decisions by consensus and a qualified majority. Decisions are made by consensus on the most sensitive issues, on the rest - by a qualified majority of two-thirds of the votes.

At the same time, any decisions taken by the Board may be reviewed by the higher bodies of the Union - the Council of the Commission, the Intergovernmental Council, the Supreme Council. And as a last resort, any issue can be challenged in the EAEU Court.

At the suggestion of the Republic of Kazakhstan, in the structural divisions of both the Commission and the Court, the positions of directors and deputy directors are occupied by representatives of the Member States, subject to the principle of their equal representation.

Currently, the Commission consists of 25 departments, in which each party is represented by 5 directors and 13 deputy directors of departments of the Commission. The rest of the staff are appointed in proportion to the share participation of states in the financing of these bodies. The staff of the Commission is 1071 people.

In general, the activities of the EAEU are aimed at solving the problems of improving the welfare and quality of life of citizens of the Member States. The EAEU is a powerful incentive for the development and comprehensive modernization of the economies of the member states and their promotion to leading positions in the global world.

The Eurasian Economic Union is an international organization of regional economic integration with international legal personality and 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 raising the living standards of the population of the member states. The EAEU ensures the freedom of movement of goods, services, capital and labor, as well as the conduct of a coordinated, coordinated or unified policy in the sectors of the economy.

The Eurasian Economic Union is the successor to the Eurasian Economic Council, which operated from 2001 to 2014. In October 2014, the heads of state discussed the results of 14 years of EurAsEC work and came to the conclusion that the format of this union has justified itself, but has exhausted itself. The Interstate Council of the EurAsEC adopted the Treaty on Termination of the Activities of the Eurasian Economic Community. On May 29, 2014, an agreement on the establishment of the Eurasian Economic Union was signed in Astana. The document will come into force on January 1, 2015. In October 2014, Armenia joined the EAEU, and on December 23, the President of Kyrgyzstan, Almazbek Atambayev, signed the Treaty on Accession to the Eurasian Union of the Kyrgyz Republic. In order to become a full member of the EAEU, the country took time to bring the infrastructure up to common standards. On May 8, 2015, Kyrgyzstan officially joined the Eurasian Economic Union. A protocol on this was signed in Moscow at a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council by the heads of the countries participating in the union.

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

The macroeconomic effect of the integration of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan into the EAEU is created by:

  • Reducing the prices of goods, due to a decrease in the cost of transporting raw materials or exporting finished products.
  • Stimulation of "healthy" competition in the common market of the EAEU due to an equal level of economic development.
  • Increasing competition in the common market of the member countries due to the entry of new countries into the market.
  • An increase in average wages due to cost reduction and increased labor productivity.
  • Increasing production due to increased demand for goods.
  • Increasing the well-being of the peoples of the EAEU countries, due to lower food prices and an increase in employment.
  • Increasing the payback of new technologies and products due to the increased market size.

Supreme Eurasian Economic Council- the supreme body of the Union, which includes the Presidents of the member states of the Union. It meets at least once a year and the decisions adopted by the Council are binding on all member states.

Eurasian Intergovernmental Economic Council- a body composed of the heads of government of the Member States. It meets at least twice a year.

Eurasian Economic Commission– a permanent supranational regulatory body of the Union, which is formed by the Council of the Commission and the Collegium of the Commission. The main tasks of the Commission are to ensure the conditions for the functioning and development of the Union, as well as the development of proposals in the field of economic integration within the Union.

Court of the Union- the judicial body of the Union, which ensures the application by the Member States and bodies of the Union of the Treaty on the EAEU and other international treaties within the Union.

The most important tasks of the EAEU are to accelerate the technological development of the industrial complexes of the EAEU countries, import substitution of industrial goods in the common market of the union and increase exports of manufacturing products.

Activities:

At present, the participating countries are discussing the experience of creating national networks of industrial cooperation and subcontracting, the functioning of exchanges and regional industrial outsourcing centers as effective tools for finding and interacting industrial partners in the EAEU states.

The issue of the formation and functioning of the Eurasian technological platforms as an effective tool for the implementation of industrial cooperation within the Union is being worked out. They will be created on the basis of public-private partnership. To date, seven pilot Eurasian technological platforms have already been formed (“Supercomputers”, “Medicine of the Future”, “Light-emitting Diodes”, “Photonics”, “Light Industry”, “Technologies for the food and processing industry of the agro-industrial complex” and “Bioenergy”). With the help of these platforms, not only will the internal market of the EAEU be filled, but the export of its products to third countries will also develop.

The Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) is currently the main integration project in the post-Soviet space of the Commonwealth of Independent States. The EAEU is “an international organization for regional economic integration with international legal personality and established by the Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union” (EAEU. Official website).

The Treaty "On the Eurasian Economic Union" was signed on May 29, 2014 in Astana (Kazakhstan) and entered into force on January 1, 2015. The EAEU ensures the freedom of movement of goods, services, capital and labor, as well as the conduct of a coordinated, coordinated or unified policy in the sectors of the economy. The fundamental EAEU was created in order to comprehensively modernize, cooperate and increase the competitiveness of the national economies of the participating countries and create conditions for stable development in the interests of raising the living standards of the population of the member states.

As of July 1, 2015, the members of the EAEU are the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Russian Federation.

EAEU governing bodies:

  • The Supreme Eurasian Economic Council is the supreme body of the Union, which includes the presidents of the Union member states;
  • The Eurasian Intergovernmental Economic Council is a body composed of the heads of government of the Member States;
  • The Eurasian Economic Commission is a permanent supranational regulatory body of the Union, which is formed by the Council of the Commission and the Collegium of the Commission. The main tasks of the Commission are to ensure the conditions for the functioning and development of the Union, as well as the development of proposals in the field of economic integration within the Union;
  • The Court of the Union is the judicial body of the Union, which ensures the application by the Member States and bodies of the Union of the Treaty on the EAEU and other international treaties within the Union.

Main milestones in the development of the EAEU

1994– the idea (N.A. Nazarbaev) of forming the Eurasian Union of States was first voiced in Moscow; in the presented integration project, the name of the Eurasian Union was used for the first time.

1995– the Agreement on the Customs Union was signed in Moscow (by the governments of the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation, on the one hand, and the government of the Republic of Kazakhstan, on the other hand), aimed at “further development of balanced and mutually beneficial relations” between the parties, namely, at removing obstacles to free economic interaction between the economic entities of the parties, ensuring free exchange of goods and fair competition and, ultimately, guaranteeing the sustainable development of national economies.

1996– in Moscow, the Agreement on deepening integration in the economic and humanitarian fields was signed (by the presidents of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Russian Federation).

1999– the Treaty on the Customs Union and the Common Economic Space was signed in Moscow (by the presidents of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Republic of Tajikistan and the Russian Federation).

2000– the Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC) was established in Astana (by the presidents of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Republic of Tajikistan and the Russian Federation) in order to effectively promote the formation of the Customs Union and the Common Economic Space.

2003– in Yalta, the Agreement on the formation of the Common Economic Space was signed (by the presidents of the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Russian Federation and Ukraine), which ensures the free movement of goods, services and labor.

2007– in Dushanbe, the Agreement was signed on the creation of a single customs territory and the formation of the Customs Union of the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation, which set the goal of “ensuring the free movement of goods in mutual trade and favorable conditions for trade of the Customs Union with third countries, as well as the development of economic integration of the parties.

2010– the Customs Union of the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation began to function: the Common Customs Tariff was put into effect, customs clearance and customs control at internal borders were abolished, and the unhindered movement of goods on the territory of the three states was ensured; 17 basic international treaties were adopted, creating the basis for the start of the functioning of the Common Economic Space; the Declaration on the formation of the Common Economic Space of the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation (by the presidents of the three countries) was signed in order to ensure harmonious, complementary and mutually beneficial cooperation with other countries, international economic associations and the European Union with access to the creation of a common economic space.

2011– the Declaration on Eurasian Economic Integration was signed (by the presidents of the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation), which declared the transition “to the next stage of integration construction - the Common Economic Space (CES)”, based “on the principles of compliance with generally recognized norms of international law, including respect for sovereignty and equality of states, the establishment of fundamental human rights and freedoms, the rule of law and a market economy”; the decision “On the entry into force of international treaties forming the Common Economic Space of the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation” was adopted, which determined the entry into force from January 1, 2012 of the agreements forming the CES.

2012– the entry into force of international treaties that form the legal basis of 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; the beginning of the work of the Eurasian Economic Commission headquartered in Moscow.

2014– signing of the Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) (by the presidents of the member states of the CU and CES), the Treaty on the accession of the Republic of Armenia to the EAEU, the Treaty on the accession of the Kyrgyz Republic to the EAEU.

2015– entry into force of the Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).

23.04.2019

In this article, we will talk about the history of the EAEU: what were the reasons and prerequisites for its emergence, from which integration associations it was formed, and what are its main goals and objectives today.

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Prerequisites

The need to create some kind of integration economic association in the post-Soviet space arose as soon as this space became post-Soviet. During the existence of the USSR, the economies of the Union republics were highly interdependent. In many production cycles, the situation was absolutely normal when part A was made in one union republic, part B was made in another, and their final assembly was carried out in a third.

Naturally, in the days of the USSR, there were no problems with the movement of goods and people across the borders of the republics. But after the collapse of the Union, it became obvious that political sovereignty and strict customs control at the border are, of course, good, but the development of foreign trade and, as a result, economic growth is not very conducive.

Moreover, the formation of the European Union in the second half of the 20th century was an extremely clear illustration of these reflections. That is, the independent European states have long recognized the need for economic integration and have been systematically moving towards it for many years.

Therefore, despite the popular trend of political independence in the early 1990s, on the contrary, integration moods reigned in the economy. For the first time, Nursultan Nazarbayev voiced the thought that was in the air and used the term "Eurasian Union" during his first official visit to Russia in 1994:

There is a need to move to a qualitatively new level of relations between our countries on the basis of a new interstate association formed on the principles of voluntariness and equality. The Eurasian Union could become such an association. It should be based on principles other than the CIS, because the basis of the new association should be supranational bodies designed to solve two key tasks: the formation of a common economic space and the provision of a common defense policy.

Also one of the important factors is the creation in 1995 of the World Trade Organization (WTO). This event determined the informational agenda for discussions on Eurasian integration for the next few years, designating WTO accession as a Great Goal towards which every self-respecting national economy should move.

In this sense, regional economic integration with the nearest neighbors was seen as an intermediate step towards WTO accession. The fact is that a candidate country for WTO accession was required to have a certain legislative framework and developed tools for customs and economic control. The same was necessary for regional integration. Accordingly, one of the goals of the Eurasian economic integration was the development of national laws and the above-mentioned instruments, bringing them to the level required for accession to the WTO.

Chronology of events

1994-2000 - the period of formation

At that time, there was a search for optimal ways of cooperation and intermediate treaties and agreements were signed that did not yet describe the forms of integration themselves, but only mutual obligations to develop and implement these forms.

1994

Nursultan Nazarbayev for the first time made a proposal in Moscow to create a Eurasian Union.

1995

January 6 Russia and Belarus sign Agreement on the Establishment of the Customs Union and the formation of a common market. On January 20, Kazakhstan joins this agreement. This can be considered the starting point in the creation of the modern EAEU.

1996

29 March Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan sign Agreement on Deepening Integration in the Economic and Humanitarian Fields. In fact, with this agreement, the countries publicly and officially confirmed their intentions for integration, but so far without much specificity in the wording, mechanisms and formats.

1999

26 February Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan sign Treaty on the Customs Union (CU). By this agreement, they, in fact, establish the Customs Union. However, in this composition, the union will last only a year and a half.

2000-2011 - Common economic space

Despite the fact that the single customs space has already been implemented, the heads of the participating countries expressed their desire for deeper, already economic integration. I wanted not just "common borders", but a "common economy".

2000

10 October Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan sign Treaty on the Establishment of the Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC), in which elements of supranational economic regulation are already traced. The first supranational body appears - the Court of the Eurasian Economic Community.

2001

On May 30, this agreement enters into force. From this moment, the Customs Union described above ceases to exist, as such, but all its provisions and principles are inherited by the EurAsEC.

2003

September 19 Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and Kazakhstan have signedAgreement on the formation of the Common Economic Space. From that moment, work began on the preparation of a legal framework in order to create a single economic space that ensures the free movement of goods, services, capital and labor (“four freedoms” of the EAEU).

2007

On October 6, Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan signed Treaty on the Creation of a Single Customs Territory and the Formation of the Customs Union based on the EurAsEC. Another supranational body appears - the Commission of the Customs Union and the Supreme Economic Council. This is the same Customs Union, in which many technical regulations will appear in 5 years.

2010

In January, the Customs Union begins its work.

In July, a unified Customs Code is introduced for the member states of the Union.

On December 9, in the Declaration on the Formation of the Common Economic Space, it was for the first time officially that the member countries of the EurAsEC were moving towards a new, more in-depth form of integration - the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). In this regard, among other things, the need for a unified system of technical regulation and the introduction of fundamentally new supranational standards (technical regulations) was outlined.

2011

Since July, customs control remains only at the external borders of the Union.

November 18 was signed Decision on the establishment of the Eurasian Economic Commission.

August 16 were published first technical regulations CU TR 006/2011 "On the safety of pyrotechnic products" (entered into force on February 15, 2012) and TR TS 005/2011 "On the safety of packaging" (entered into force on June 1, 2012).

A total of 24 technical regulations were approved and published during 2011. All of them entered into force in the period 2012-2015. The entry into force of the technical regulation for certain products automatically canceled the national standard for these products.

2012-2019 - Eurasian Economic Union

This is the period of formation of the single economic integration association that exists today - the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). At this time, there is a rejection of transitional forms and the development of supranational institutions.

The EAEU is already positioned as the "core of continental integration" uniting Asia and Europe. Its concept is being developed taking into account the logic of the global Chinese project "One Belt and One Road", aimed at creating fast and efficient trade routes between Europe and Asia. However, it is important to emphasize that it is not “in accordance”, but precisely “taking into account”.

At the same time, across the ocean, they begin to talk about the fact that Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus are building a new USSR. To which the leaders of the participating countries have repeatedly stated that the EAEU is not a political union, but exclusively an economic one. The President of Kazakhstan generally proposed a radical way to stop these conversations in the bud, quote: “[When I am abroad, I often hear] that we are creating the USSR, or something under Russia. Maybe accept Turkey, a big country, and the conversation will end”.

2012

On February 2, the Eurasian Economic Commission began to function. The Commission of the Customs Union was abolished, its functions were transferred to the EEC.

On October 19, Kyrgyzstan joined the Customs Union (which currently included Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus).

November 18 were signed Declaration on Eurasian Economic Integration(in fact, a roadmap for the creation of the EAEU) and Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Commission(official recognition by the heads of state of the EEC as a supranational body).

2014

May 29 in Astana (now Nur-Sultan) signed Treaty on the Establishment of the Eurasian Economic Union. Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan ratified this treaty on 5, 9 and 14 October respectively.

October 10 signed signed Treaty on the accession of Armenia to the EAEU, ratified by Armenia on 4 December.

2015

On May 21, Kyrgyzstan ratified the Treaty on Accession to the EAEU and became its official member in August.

2016

2017

On April 14, Moldova became the first (and still remains the only) observer country in the EAEU.

2018

On January 1, the Customs Code of the EAEU came into force, thereby canceling the previous Customs Code of the Customs Union. Now all countries joining the EAEU automatically join the EAEU Customs Union.

Do not get confused in "unions"!

Using the phrase "Customs Union" as a proper name was not the best idea initially, because the customs union [of several states] is a common noun. There are more than 10 customs unions in the world today.

Therefore, from a morphological point of view, it would be correct to say thatthere are two unions:

Firstly, Eurasian Economic Union(EAEU) , which is a unique form of association of several states,

Secondly, Customs Union of the Eurasian Economic Union (CU EAEU), which is one of the many customs unions in the world. And a country joining the EAEU automatically becomes a member of the EAEU CU.

EAEU today

To date, the EAEU includes five countries: Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan.

Moldova is an observer country.

Free trade agreements have been concluded with Vietnam, Iran, China, Cuba.

Negotiations are underway to create a free trade regime with Singapore, India, Egypt, Thailand, Israel and Serbia.

There are 4 supranational bodies in the EAEU:

Supreme Eurasian Economic Council- the supreme body, which includes the heads of the EAEU member states. The meetings of the Supreme Council are held annually.

Eurasian Intergovernmental Economic Council- a body that includes heads of governments (prime ministers) of the EAEU member states. Council meetings are also held annually.

Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC)- a regularly operating regulatory body, whose tasks include the direct functioning of the Union, the development of integration and supranational institutions and instruments. It consists of the Council of the Commission and the Collegium of the Commission.

Court of the Eurasian Economic Union- a judicial body that solves the problems of law enforcement practice of the supranational legislation of the EAEU.

Today in the EAEU, and their number is growing every year.

TR CU or TR EAEU?

Separately, it is worth clarifying the issue with the name of technical regulations.

At the moment, there are two types of technical regulations in the EAEU: technical regulations of the Customs Union (TR CU) and technical regulations of the Eurasian Economic Union (TR EAEU).

These are absolutely identical documents that have equal legal force and scope. The difference between them is only in the name.

If you pay attention, then until 2014, inclusive, the technical regulations of the Customs Union were published (the latest was the technical regulation for tobacco products), and after 2015, when the EAEU already officially existed, the technical regulations of the Eurasian Economic Union began to be published. And in the future, only EAEU TRs will now appear, but CU TRs will continue to operate without renaming.

The Customs Union is an organization that has legal personality obtained in accordance with the agreement on the economic union of the states of Eurasia. The document was signed on May 29, 2014.

Members of the Customs Union

The creation of the Union is aimed at ensuring the solution of the following issues:

  • To help coordinate, harmonize, develop a unified policy regarding all sectors of the economy.
  • Ensure the free movement of both labor and finance, services, goods.

The following countries are currently members of the Customs Union:

  • Russia,
  • Kyrgyzstan,
  • Kazakhstan,
  • Armenia,
  • Belarus.

Tunisia, Syria and Turkey also stated that they intend to join the CU. But so far, these countries have not taken any concrete steps for this.

The evolution of the process will help to better understand the prerequisites and goals of creating a TS.

  1. The first treaty, which became the basis for the creation of the Union, was signed by Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia in 1995. Later, the agreement was signed by representatives of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan.
  2. 2007 Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus signed the following agreement. It said that the listed countries agreed to build a Customs Union with a single customs territory.
  3. year 2009. The previously signed document was supplemented by many additional international treaties, there were more than forty of them. In addition, it was decided that from the first days of 2010 a single customs area is being formed. It will include the territory of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan.
  4. 2010 A common code was adopted for the listed states. At the same time, a single tariff begins to operate.
  5. In 2011, the removal of customs control between the countries of the Union. It was moved to the outer borders.
  6. From 2011 to 2013. Development and adoption of common legislative norms for the CU countries. In addition, the development of a unified law on product safety was carried out.
  7. In 2014, the CU was replenished with one more country, Armenia, and the following year, Kyrgyzstan becomes a member of the Union.

In other words, integration processes were developed throughout the period. As a result, general norms of legislation and customs tariffs should be developed so that it would be possible to carry out trade operations with those states that were not included in the CU.

The main goal pursued by the powers that signed the Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union is to strengthen economic ties. First of all, the strengthening of ties was implied between the participating countries, and then with those states that were part of the Soviet Union. And also the task is to restore the technological and economic chains that once existed. But this will have to happen taking into account what the economic and political situation of each state will be at the current moment.

Who controls the EEC?

The following structures coordinate and manage the work of the EAEU bodies:

  • Higher Eurasian ES. This is the name given to the supranational body. It consists of the heads of countries that have become members of the CU. The meeting of the Supreme Council takes place annually. It makes the next decisions that must be implemented by all participating countries. In addition, the council is engaged in determining the composition and powers of various structures of the CU.
  • Eurasian Commission on Economics. This is the regulatory body of the Union, which works constantly. In addition to general issues, the commission also decides those related to customs regulation and international trade. It also develops and provides conditions for the development of the vehicle and its normal operation.

The powers of the commission are quite extensive, it is authorized to resolve almost all issues:

  1. Technical regulation.
  2. Customs administration.
  3. Trade statistics.
  4. Procurement.
  5. Monetary policy.
  6. macroeconomic policy.
  7. Concerning transportation, transport.
  8. Subsidies for agricultural or industrial enterprises.
  9. financial markets.
  10. Migration policy.
  11. Trade regime with third countries.
  12. Competition policy, energy.
  13. Copyright Compliance.
  14. Measures regarding sanitary/veterinary norms.
  15. Natural monopoly and other areas.

Governing bodies of the Eurasian Economic Union

In addition, the duties of the commission include ensuring the implementation of the international treaties included in the legal basis of the Union.

The Commission is competent to approve documents and make decisions that the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union will be required to comply with.

TC goals and their implementation

The first goal of the CU concerned issues related to the expansion of markets where the members of the Union could sell the goods and services they produce. So that first of all it is within it that sales grow.

For this, the following was suggested:

  1. Cancel internal customs payments. Thanks to this, the price attractiveness of products produced by the member countries of the Union could increase.
  2. Cancel customs control and paperwork for the movement of products. This helped speed up the circulation of goods within the Union.
  3. Adopt general requirements for veterinary safety standards and sanitary and epidemiological issues. It was proposed to obtain this on the basis of the results of joint tests.

In order to unify the approach to safety and quality, the participating countries signed an agreement that all products offered for sale must have a certificate. Its form was specified in one of the documents of the Customs Union.

This agreement contains more than 30 regulations. All of them relate to the quality of services / goods and their safety. Moreover, a certificate issued by one country - a member of the Union, remains valid in other states that are its members.

The following objectives of the TS:

  • Create all conditions so that the member countries of the Union can, first of all, sell their own products.
  • Protect the domestic market of the vehicle.

Unfortunately, no mutual understanding has been reached between the states on the above points. Each of them has its own priorities regarding the development of production and intends, first of all, to protect its own interests, and not to take care of the production of its neighbors. Because of this, both importing enterprises and the population suffer.