06.11.2018

Customs Union(TS)- interstate agreement within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). The CU involves the abolition of customs duties and similar payments in mutual trade between member countries of the union. In addition, the Customs Union unifies quality assessment and certification methods and creates a unified database on certain aspects economic activity.

The conclusion of the Union is the basis for the creation of a single customs space on the territory of its members and the transfer of customs barriers to the external borders of the Union. Based on this, all countries in the customs area apply a single, coordinated approach to customs procedures and goods imported and exported across the borders of the Customs Union.

Also, throughout the territory of the Customs Union, equal rights for citizens of participating countries in employment are assumed.

The participants of the Customs Union currently (2016) are members of the EAEU:

Syria and Tunisia announced their intention to join the CU, and a proposal was voiced to admit Turkey into the Union. However, nothing is known about specific actions to implement these intentions.

The management and coordination bodies in the EAEU are:

  • The Supreme Eurasian Economic Council is a supranational body consisting of the heads of state of the EAEU members;
  • The Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) is a permanent regulatory body of the EAEU. The competence of the EEC includes, among other things, issues of international trade and customs regulation.

It would be fair to say that the Customs Union is one of the stages of a plan to strengthen economic ties between some states in the territory former USSR. In a certain sense, this can be seen as the restoration of once existing economic and technological chains, taking into account new political and economic realities.

An important aspect of the Union’s activities has become the system of centralized distribution of customs duties paid when crossing the borders of the Common Economic Space.

  • Russia accounts for 85.33% of the total;
  • Kazakhstan receives - 7.11%;
  • Belarus - 4.55%;
  • Kyrgyzstan - 1.9%;
  • Armenia - 1.11%.

In addition, the Customs Union has a mechanism for coordinated collection and distribution of indirect taxes.

Thus, in its current state, the Customs Union is a way economic integration states belonging to the EAEU.

Official information about the Customs Union can be obtained on the website of the Eurasian Economic Union - eurasiancommission.org.

History of the creation of the vehicle

To better understand the prerequisites and goals of creating the Customs Union, it will be useful to consider the evolution of integration processes in the post-Soviet space:

  • 1995 - Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia sign the first agreement on the creation of the Customs Union. Subsequently, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan joined the agreement;
  • 2007 - Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia enter into an Agreement on a single customs territory and the construction of the Customs Union;
  • 2009 - previously concluded agreements are filled with specific content, about 40 international treaties are signed. A decision was made to form a single customs space on the territory of Belarus, Russia and Kazakhstan from January 1, 2010;
  • 2010 - the Unified Customs Tariff comes into force, a common Customs Code for three states is adopted;
  • 2011 - customs control is removed from the borders between the CU states and transferred to their external borders with third countries;
  • 2011 - 2013 - the development and adoption of legislative norms common to the countries of the Union continues, the first unified technical regulation on product safety appears;
  • 2015 - Armenia and Kyrgyzstan join the Customs Union.
  • 2016 - Entry into force of the Agreement on a free trade zone between the EAEU and Vietnam. Statement by the presidents of the EAEU countries “On the digital agenda of the Eurasian Economic Union.”
  • 2017 - " White paper» barriers, exemptions and restrictions. Signing and ratification of the Customs Agreement EAEU Code.
  • 2018 - Entry into force of the Treaty on the Customs Code of the EAEU. Granting the Republic of Moldova the status of an observer country in the EAEU. Signing of the Agreement on trade and economic cooperation between the EAEU and the PRC. Signing of an Interim Agreement leading to the creation of a free trade zone between the EAEU and Iran.

It must be said that integration processes, with at different speeds and results continued continuously throughout the period described. Legislation and customs tariffs in trade with third countries were gradually brought to general norms.

Goals of the Customs Union and their implementation

The immediate goal of the Customs Union was stated to be an increase in markets for goods and services produced by its members. The calculation was made, first of all, on the growth of sales within the Common Customs Space of the Union. This was supposed to be achieved by:

  • The abolition of internal customs duties, which should contribute to the price attractiveness of products produced in the Union;
  • Acceleration of the turnover of goods due to the abolition of customs control and clearance when moving them within the Customs Union;
  • Adoption of general sanitary-epidemiological and veterinary requirements, uniform standards for the safety of goods and services, mutual recognition of test results.

To unify approaches to quality and safety, an interstate agreement was concluded on mandatory certification of products specified in the “Unified List of Products Subject to Mandatory Assessment (Confirmation) of Compliance within the Customs Union with the issuance of uniform documents.” For 2016, over three dozen regulations on requirements for the safety and quality of goods, works and services have been agreed upon. Certificates issued by any state are valid in all others.

The next goal of the Customs Union should be the joint protection of the internal market of the Customs Union, the creation of favorable conditions for the production and sale, first of all, of domestic products of the Union member countries. At this point in the program, mutual understanding between states turned out to be somewhat less than in matters of mutual trade. Each country had its own priorities in the development of production, while protecting the interests of neighbors sometimes had a negative impact on importing enterprises and the population.

Contradictions in the CU

The Customs Union united states with a common past, including economic, but a different present, primarily economic. Each of the former Soviet republics had its own specialization during the Soviet period, and during the years of independence there were many other changes associated with attempts to find its place in the world market and in the regional division of labor. Belarus and Kyrgyzstan, states equally distant geographically and in structure, have few mutual interests. But there are similar interests. Since Soviet times, the economic structure of both countries has been built in such a way that it requires a Russian sales market. The situation in Kazakhstan and Armenia is somewhat different, but for them, ties with Russia are extremely important, largely for geopolitical reasons.

At the same time, the Russian economy until the end of 2014 grew successfully due to high gas and other raw materials. Which gave the Russian Federation financial opportunities to finance integration processes. Such a course of action may not have promised a quick economic benefit, but assumed the growth of Russia’s influence on the world stage. Thus, the Russian Federation has always remained the real driving force of the processes of the Eurasian unification in general and the Customs Union in particular.

History of integration processes last decades looks like a series of compromises between Russia's influence and the interests of its neighbors. For example, Belarus has repeatedly stated that it is not the Customs Union itself that is important to it, but a single economic space with equal prices for oil and gas and access for enterprises of the Republic to Russian government procurement. For this purpose, Belarus agreed to increase tariffs on the import of passenger cars in 2010-2011, without having its own production of such products. Such a “sacrifice” also became the reason for the announcement of mandatory certification of light industry goods, which hit small retail trade hard. In addition, the internal standards of the Customs Union had to be brought into line with the norms, although Russia is a member of this organization (and enjoys the corresponding opportunities in international trade), and Belarus is not.

So far, the Republic of Belarus has not received the desired benefits in full, because... Questions about equalities with domestic Russian energy prices have been postponed until 2025. Also, Belarusian enterprises did not receive opportunities to participate in the Russian import substitution program.

It should be noted that the agreements of the Customs Union have many exceptions and clarifications, anti-dumping, protective and compensatory measures that do not allow us to talk about common benefits and equal conditions for all participants in the organization. Almost each of the CU states at certain points expressed their dissatisfaction with the contractual terms.

Despite the elimination of customs posts within the Union, border control between states remains. Inspections by sanitary control services also continue at internal borders. The practice of their work demonstrates neither mutual trust nor the declared unity of approaches. An example of this is the “food wars” that periodically arise between Russia and Belarus. Their usual scenario begins with non-recognition of the quality of products certified by the Belarusian side and leads to a ban on supplies to Russian consumers “until the deficiencies are eliminated.”

Advantages of the Customs Union

Talk about achieving the goals declared at the conclusion of the Customs Union this moment(2016) is impossible, internal trade turnover between CU participants is falling. There are also no particular advantages for the economy compared to the period before the agreements were concluded.

At the same time, there is reason to believe that without the agreement on the Customs Union the situation would have looked even more depressing. Crisis phenomena in each individual economy could have a greater scale and depth. Presence in the Customs Union gives many enterprises a comparative advantage in the intra-Union market.

The shared distribution of customs duties between the CU states also looks favorable for Belarus and Kazakhstan (initially, the Russian Federation claimed to transfer 93% of the total to its own).

The agreements in force in the Customs Union provide the opportunity for duty-free sales of cars produced in the territory of the Union in the industrial assembly mode. Thanks to this, Belarus received foreign investment in the construction of enterprises for the production of passenger cars. Until this time, such projects were not successful due to the small volume of the Belarusian sales market itself.

Practice of application of customs agreements

Studying the published information about the creation and functioning of the Customs Union, it is easy to notice that the declarative part, i.e. ratified interstate agreements and general documents are mentioned much more often than specific figures for increasing trade turnover.

But the Union should obviously not be treated as a PR campaign. There is a noticeable simplification of the movement of goods, a reduction in the number of administrative procedures, and some improvement in competitive conditions for enterprises of the CU member countries. It is likely that filling agreed upon uniform rules with economic content requires time and mutual interest not only state institutions, but also business entities within the CU.

Eurasian economic union — international organization regional economic integration, having 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, 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

Customs EAEU Union- a form of trade and economic integration of the participating countries, providing for a single customs territory within which customs duties and restrictions of an economic nature 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 - from 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 key elements integration of 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 several recent 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 more countries are official candidates to join the organization or are considering this step.

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 alliances 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. Allied 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 coordinated policies in energy, industry, agriculture, 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, Black Sea region, Caucasus and South European Russia there were large state entities a number of peoples. It is in this Eurasian area, according to the most common hypotheses, that the historical ancestral homelands of the Indo-Europeans are located (the Indo-European peoples include the Slavs, Armenians, Ossetians, Tajiks, etc.), 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 based on 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 typical that the collapse Soviet Union Kazakhstan and some other Asian republics most opposed 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 Customs EurAsEC 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. 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.

[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 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 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, then further fate 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 stalled due to 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.

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 issues 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 in your state 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. There should also be ongoing coordinated economic policy of all countries, 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, but for each specific task the path for its implementation has been determined and a special working group has been created that will not only monitor its 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 paid to transport policy in the territory 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.

A special place is occupied by the common labor market, which regulates not only the free movement of labor, but also the same working conditions. Citizens who go to work in the EAEU countries will no longer need to fill out migration cards (if their stay does not exceed 30 days). The same simplified system will apply to medical care. The issue of exporting pensions and offset length of service, which has been accumulated in a member country of the Union.

Expert opinions

The list of countries of the Customs Union may soon be replenished with several more states, but, according to experts, in order for full growth and influence on similar Western unions similar to the EU (European Union) to be noticeable, a lot of work and expansion of the organization is needed. In any case, the ruble will not be able to become an alternative to the euro or dollar yet for a long time, and the impact of recent sanctions has clearly shown how Western policy can work to serve its own interests, and that at the same time neither Russia itself nor the entire Union can actually do anything about it. As for Kazakhstan and Belarus specifically, the conflict in Ukraine showed that they will not give up their benefits to please Russia. The tenge, by the way, also fell sharply due to the fall of the ruble. And on many issues, Russia remains the main competitor of Kazakhstan and Belarus. However, at the moment, the creation of the Union is an adequate and only correct decision that can help at least somehow strengthen relations between states in the event of further Western pressure on Russia.

It is now known which countries in the Customs Union are more interested in its creation. Despite the fact that even at the stage of its inception it was constantly plagued by all sorts of problems, the joint coordinated actions of all members of the Union make it possible to solve them as quickly as possible, which makes it possible to look into the future with optimism and hope for the rapid development of the economies of all states participating in this treaty.

List of member countries of the Customs Union in 2017

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. One more distinctive feature is the equality of citizens of the customs area during employment.

Members

In 2017, 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.

Stages of formation

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, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan also joined 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 set into motion the work of the Unified Customs Tariff and the Customs Code.

On July 1, 2011, the current customs control at the borders between countries was canceled and general rules on borders with states 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.

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 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


By creating the Customs Union, the countries proclaimed 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 through the abolition of duties.
  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.

Activity analysis

The customs union consists of countries that have the same economic background, but today these states are very different from each other. Of course, in Soviet time 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 Russian market sales 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.

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. IN different time in fact, 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 benefits for economic development, 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. Significant amount enterprises gain relative benefits by participating in trade relations within the Customs Union.

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.

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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 Union is open to entry by any state that shares its goals and principles, under conditions agreed upon by the member states. There is also a procedure for leaving the Union.

The activities of the Union's bodies are financed from the Union's budget, which is formed in Russian rubles through the share contributions of the Member States.

The EAEU budget for 2016 is 7,734,627.0 thousand rubles.

The material was prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources

The Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) is an international integration economic association (union), the agreement on the creation of which was signed on May 29, 2014 and comes into force on January 1, 2015. The union included Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus. The EAEU was created on the basis of the Customs Union of the Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC) to strengthen the economies of the participating countries and “bring closer to each other”, to modernize and increase the competitiveness of the participating countries in the world market. The EAEU member states plan to continue economic integration in the coming years.

History of the creation of the Eurasian Economic Union

In 1995, the presidents of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia and later joining states - Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan signed the first agreements on the creation of the Customs Union. Based on these agreements, the Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC) was created in 2000.

On October 6, 2007, in Dushanbe (Tajikistan), Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia signed an agreement on the creation of a single customs territory and the Customs Union Commission as a single permanent governing body of the Customs Union.

The Eurasian Customs Union or the Customs Union of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia was born on January 1, 2010. The customs union was launched as the first step towards the formation of a broader European Union-type economic union of former Soviet republics.

The creation of the Eurasian Customs Union was guaranteed by 3 different treaties signed in 1995, 1999 and 2007. The first agreement in 1995 guaranteed its creation, the second in 1999 guaranteed its formation, and the third in 2007 announced the creation of a single customs territory and the formation of a customs union.

Access of products to the territory of the Customs Union was granted after checking these products for compliance with the requirements of the technical regulations of the Customs Union that are applicable to these products. As of December 2012, 31 Technical Regulations of the Customs Union have been developed, which cover different kinds products, some of which have already entered into force, and some of which will enter into force before 2015. Some technical regulations will still be developed.

Before the Technical Regulations came into force, the basis for access to the market of the member countries of the Customs Union were the following rules:

1. National certificate - for product access to the market of the country where this certificate was issued.

2. Certificate of the Customs Union - a certificate issued in accordance with the “List of products subject to mandatory assessment (confirmation) of conformity within the Customs Union” - such a certificate is valid in all three member countries of the Customs Union.

Since November 19, 2011, member states have implemented the work of a joint commission (Eurasian Economic Commission) to strengthen closer economic ties to create the Eurasian Economic Union by 2015.

On January 1, 2012, the three states formed the Common Economic Space to promote further economic integration. All three countries have ratified a basic package of 17 agreements governing the launch of the Common Economic Space (CES).

On May 29, 2014, an agreement on the creation of the Eurasian Economic Union was signed in Astana (Kazakhstan).

On January 1, 2015, the EAEU began to function as part of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. On January 2, 2015, Armenia became a member of the EAEU. Kyrgyzstan has announced its intention to participate in the EAEU.

Economy of the Eurasian Economic Union

The macroeconomic effect from the integration of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan into the EAEU is created due to:

Reduced prices for goods due to reduced costs of transporting raw materials or exporting finished products.

Stimulating “healthy” competition in the common market of the EAEU through an equal level of economic development.

Increasing competition in the common market of the member countries of the Customs Union, thanks to the entry of new countries into the market.

Increase in average wages due to reduced costs and increased labor productivity.

Increasing production due to increased demand for goods.

Increasing the well-being of the people of the EAEU countries, thanks to lower food prices and increased employment.

Increasing the return on investment of new technologies and products due to increased market volume.

At the same time, the signed version of the agreement on the creation of the EAEU was of a compromise nature, and therefore a number of planned measures were not implemented in full. In particular, the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) and the Eurasian Economic Court did not receive broad powers to monitor compliance with the agreements. If the EEC resolutions are not implemented, the controversial issue is considered by the Eurasian Economic Court, whose decisions are only advisory in nature, and the issue is finally resolved at the level of the Council of Heads of State. In addition, pressing issues on the creation of a unified financial regulator, on energy trade policy, as well as on the problem of the existence of exemptions and restrictions on trade between EAEU members were postponed until 2025 or indefinitely.

Characteristics of the EAEU countries (as of 2014)

CountriesPopulation, million peopleSize of real GDP, billion US dollarsGDP per capita, thousand US dollarsInflation, %Unemployment rate, %Trade balance, billion US dollars
Russia142.5 2057.0 14.4 7.8 5.2 189.8
Belarus9.6 77.2 8.0 18.3 0.7 -2.6
Kazakhstan17.9 225.6 12.6 6.6 5.0 36.7

Source - CIA World Factbook

Governing bodies of the Eurasian Economic Union

The governing bodies of the EAEU are the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council and the Eurasian Economic Commission.

The Supreme Eurasian Economic Council is the highest supranational body of the EAEU. The council includes heads of state and government. The Supreme Council meets at the level of heads of state at least once a year, at the level of heads of government - at least twice a year. Decisions are made by consensus. Decisions made become mandatory in all participating states. The Council determines the composition and powers of other regulatory structures.

The Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) is one permanent regulatory body (supranational governing body) in the EAEU. The main task of the EEC is to provide conditions for the development and functioning of the EAEU, as well as the development of economic integration initiatives within the EAEU.

The powers of the Eurasian Economic Commission are defined in Article 3 of the Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Commission of November 18, 2010. All rights and functions of the previously existing Customs Union Commission were delegated to the Eurasian Economic Commission.

Within the competence of the Commission:

  • customs tariffs and non-tariff regulation;
  • customs administration;
  • technical regulation;
  • sanitary, veterinary and phytosanitary measures;
  • crediting and distribution of import customs duties;
  • establishment of trade regimes with third countries;
  • statistics of foreign and domestic trade;
  • macroeconomic policy;
  • competition policy;
  • industrial and agricultural subsidies;
  • energy policy;
  • natural monopolies;
  • state and municipal procurement;
  • domestic trade in services and investment;
  • transport and transportation;
  • monetary policy;
  • intellectual property and copyright;
  • migration policy;
  • financial markets (banking, insurance, foreign exchange and stock markets);
  • and some other areas.

The Commission ensures the implementation of international treaties that form the legal basis of the Eurasian Economic Union.

The Commission is also the depository of international treaties that formed the legal basis of the Customs Union and the Common Economic Space, and now the EAEU, as well as decisions of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council.

Within its competence, the Commission adopts non-binding documents, such as recommendations, and can also make decisions that are binding in the EAEU member countries.

The Commission's budget is made up of contributions from member states and approved by the heads of EAEU member states.

Possible new members of the Eurasian Economic Union

The main contenders for joining the EAEU are Armenia and Kyrgyzstan. In July 2014, news appeared that Armenia would sign an agreement to join the Eurasian Economic Union before September 10, 2014. There is information that negotiations between Armenia and the founding countries of the EAEU and the Eurasian Economic Commission have been completed. The agreement on Armenia’s accession to the EAEU is in the hands of the governments of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus, where it is going through the necessary bureaucratic stages, and after the governments’ decision, the question of where the presidents of Armenia and the EAEU countries will meet to sign the agreement will be raised.

It is also reported that Kyrgyzstan may soon join the EAEU member countries. However, no specific deadlines have been set for this country’s entry into the EAEU (previously the date was announced - until the end of 2014). In addition, the population of the country, apparently, is not particularly keen to join the EAEU. This conclusion can be made based on civic activity during the collection of signatures for a petition in support of Kyrgyzstan’s accession to the Customs Union and the EAEU. To date, only 38 people have signed the appeal.

Russians are also suspicious of Kyrgyzstan's possible accession to the Eurasian Economic Union. This is evidenced by the results of a survey conducted by the All-Russian Center for the Study of Public Opinion (VTsIOM). According to researchers, only 20% of respondents were in favor of Kyrgyzstan joining the union, and Moldova had the same number of votes. The most desirable country that Russians would like to see as an ally turned out to be Armenia. 45% of respondents voted for it.

Every fifth person expects Azerbaijan and Moldova to join the EAEU (23% and 20%, respectively). Only 17% of survey participants are in favor of Uzbekistan joining the EAEU, and 14% of Tajikistan and Georgia each. Respondents were least likely to speak out in favor of attracting Ukraine to the Eurasian Economic Union - 10%. And 13% of respondents believe that the EAEU should not be expanded yet.

Public opinion poll in the CIS regarding integration

Since 2012, the Eurasian Development Bank (established in Russia and Kazakhstan) has been conducting regular surveys of the opinions of residents of individual states regarding Eurasian integration projects. The following question was asked to residents of individual countries: “Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia united in the Customs Union, which freed trade between the three countries from duties, and created a Single Economic Space (essentially a single market of the three countries). How do you feel about this decision?

The results of the total “profitable” and “very profitable” answers are given below:

As you can see, the idea of ​​​​creating a Customs Union and the Eurasian Economic Union is generally approved and looks “profitable” in the eyes of the majority of the population in almost everyone, with the exception of Azerbaijan, the CIS countries and even Georgia.

Meanwhile, the United States in its foreign policy oppose the Customs Union and the EAEU, arguing that this is an attempt to restore Russian dominance in the post-Soviet space and create a union like the USSR.

The Customs Union is an organization that has legal personality obtained under the Treaty on the Economic Union of the Eurasian States. 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:

  • Help coordinate, agree, develop common policy regarding all sectors of the economy.
  • Ensure free movement of both labor and finance, services, and goods.

Currently, the following states are participants in the Customs Union:

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

Also, Tunisia, Syria and Turkey stated that they intend to join the Customs Union. 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 agreement, 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 have concluded 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 space will be 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 comes into effect.
  5. In 2011, the removal of customs controls between the countries of the Union. It was moved to the outer borders.
  6. From 2011 to 2013. Development and adoption of legislative norms common to the CU countries. In addition, a unified law on product safety was developed.
  7. In 2014, the CU was replenished with one more country, Armenia, and the following year Kyrgyzstan also became a member of the Union.

In other words, integration processes were developed throughout the entire 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 Customs Union.

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

Who runs the EES?

Coordinate and manage work EAEU bodies the following structures:

  • Highest Eurasian EC. This is the name given to a 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 regular decisions that all participating countries must implement. In addition, the council is responsible for determining the composition and powers of various CU structures.
  • Eurasian Commission on Economics. This is the regulatory body of the Union, which works constantly. In addition to general issues, the commission also resolves 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 policies, energy.
  13. Copyright compliance.
  14. Measures regarding sanitary/veterinary standards.
  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 international treaties included in the legal framework of the Union.

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

CU goals and their implementation

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

For this purpose the following was proposed:

  1. Cancel internal customs duties. Thanks to this, the price attractiveness of products produced by member countries of the Union could increase.
  2. Cancel customs control and paperwork for the movement of products. This helped speed up the turnover of goods within the Union.
  3. Accept General requirements on veterinary safety standards and sanitary and epidemiological issues. It was proposed to obtain this based on 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 Customs Union documents.

This agreement contains more than 30 regulations. All of them relate to the quality of services/products and their safety. Moreover, a certificate issued by one member state of the Union remains valid in other member states.

The following TS goals:

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

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

Advantages of the vehicle

Unfortunately, at the moment it cannot be said that the CU has achieved the goals that were declared during its creation. Such conclusions are led by the fact that there is a decline in trade turnover between the participating countries.

If we compare the period before the agreement on the Eurasian Economic Union was concluded with the period following this event, then no particular economic growth was noticed.

But its decline is not observed either. Moreover, if the Customs Union had not been concluded, the situation would have been much more complicated due to crisis phenomena in all CU countries. Participation in the intra-Union market provides certain advantages.

The shares of customs duties are distributed as follows (indicators in the list are given as a percentage of the total amount):

  1. Russia - 85.3.
  2. Kazakhstan - 7.1.
  3. Belarus - 4.59.
  4. Kyrgyzstan - 1.9.
  5. Armenia - 1.11.

Besides Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus have the most advantages in customs duties. Thus, thanks to existing agreements, it became possible to sell cars manufactured in the Union without paying duties.

Economy and industry of the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union

In order to carry out industrial assembly, enterprises were built in Belarus with foreign investment, where they then began to assemble passenger cars from imported kits. Previously, it was unprofitable to do this due to the fact that the demand of the country's citizens for cars of this class is low.