The bodies of the Eurasian Economic Union are: Eurasian Economic Union: what is it, countries

Information integration and IT projects

Story

* 2019: Pensions for migrant workers

In June 2019, it became known that Russia will begin paying pensions to labor migrants from the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union - Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

The decision is being prepared as part of the union pension agreement.

According to the document, which was prepared in March and must be ratified by the EAEU member countries by the end of 2019, the country in which the migrant worked and made contributions to the pension fund will pay him a pension after returning to his homeland.

The new measures will help restore the influx of labor migrants, which last year fell to its lowest level in post-Soviet history and no longer covers the natural population decline.

2018: China and the EAEU signed an agreement on trade and economic cooperation

An agreement on trade and economic cooperation between the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and China was signed in May 2018 during the Astana Economic Forum, which takes place on Thursday in the capital of Kazakhstan, a RIA Novosti correspondent reports.

According to the EEC press service, the EAEU and China have been negotiating an agreement on trade and economic cooperation over the past two years. Agreements were reached on wide-format and industry cooperation. The agreement sets a high standard of regulation in various fields, including the protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights.

Earlier, the Minister of National Economy of Kazakhstan, Timur Suleimenov, said that “the agreement is non-preferential in nature and does not provide for the abolition of duties or the automatic reduction of non-tariff barriers.”

2017: Plan for connecting transport routes with the Silk Road Belt

As Adamkul Zhunusov noted in 2017, cooperation between the EAEU countries and the People’s Republic of China opens up enormous opportunities for the development of economic ties, trade, and the creation of new transport routes between Europe and Asia, which will significantly increase economic potential. A significant synergistic effect is expected from the implementation of a joint project with China to connect the EAEU and the Silk Road Economic Belt.

Part of the infrastructure projects will be financed from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the Silk Road Fund. As a first step, the Chinese side proposed to states located along the Silk Road to formulate a list of pilot projects taking into account common interests. Such a list of 39 projects has already been prepared by a specially created working group and approved by the ministers of transport of the Union member states, Zhunusov recalled. Among the most significant joint initiatives, he noted the construction of new roads within the framework of the international transport route Europe - Western China with a length of 8,445 km, the Moscow-Kazan high-speed highway with a length of 770 km (within the framework of the Moscow-Beijing high-speed line), the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway as a southern branches of the Eurasian continental bridge, opening access to the markets of Western Asia and the Middle East. The EEC Minister placed special emphasis on the implementation of the Southern railway Armenia – Iran”, which connects the existing railway system of Armenia with Iran. For a substantive discussion of these projects, it was decided to invite the Minister of Transport of China, Li Xiaopeng, to the next Meeting of the Ministers of Transport of the Union member states in December 2017, said Adamkul Zhunusov.

2015: Formation of the union

2014: Signing of documents on the creation of the EAEU

On May 29, 2014, in Astana, the presidents of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan signed documents on the creation of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) in 2015. The Treaty was concluded with the aim of ensuring economic progress through joint action aimed at addressing the common challenges facing member states for sustainable economic development, comprehensive modernization and strengthening of competitiveness national economies within the global economy.

The management system will be similar to the one that has been in place since 2012 after the transformation of the Customs Union into the Common Economic Space (SES). Members of the board of the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) and its chairman Viktor Khristenko will retain their positions. The agreement completes the five-year stage of formation of the union, which began in 2009 with the creation of the Customs Union, explains EEC Trade Minister Andrey Slepnev: the union will become an independent entity international law.

Single market for goods and services

The three countries agree to create a single market for goods and services, although it will not be fully operational until 2025 - single markets for gas and oil must be created. The trade policy of the EAEU will not change: uniform customs regulations and tariffs, free movement of goods. The standards for the distribution of income from import duties will not change: 87.97% will go to Russia, 7.33% to Kazakhstan, 4.7% to Belarus.

The agreement spells out mechanisms to protect the market from imports. Seasonal duties may be established for a period of up to 6 months, and protective, anti-dumping and countervailing measures may be applied.

“In critical circumstances,” the EAEU Commission may impose retroactive anti-dumping duties for 200 days until the investigation is completed. While the anti-dumping investigation is ongoing, there is a risk that importers will bring in a year's supply of goods, and this damage needs to be prevented. This is a WTO-approved instrument,” says Slepnev.

Severstal CEO Alexei Mordashov asked Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev about the possibility of introducing such duties back in 2013. Without this, protective investigations are pointless, he explained.

Single regime for investments

It is planned to unify the investment regime in the countries of the union. Investors will have the right to compensate, at the expense of the state, for damage to their investments as a result of unrest, wars and revolutions. The nationalization of private assets, on the one hand, is prohibited, on the other, the investment protection annex describes the compensation mechanism: it must be market-based, paid quickly, and interest may be charged for delays.

Page Content

On January 1, the Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) came into force. The treaty approves the creation of an economic union, within which the freedom of movement of goods, services, capital and labor force, carrying out a coordinated, agreed or unified policy in the sectors of the economy defined by this document and international treaties within the Union.

The Treaty on the EAEU was signed by the Presidents of the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation on May 29, 2014 in Astana. In addition to these three states, members of the Union will also include the Republic of Armenia, which signed the Treaty of Accession to the Union on October 10, 2014, and the Kyrgyz Republic, which signed a similar Treaty on December 23, 2014.

The Eurasian Economic Union is an international organization for regional economic integration with international legal personality.

The Union is called upon to create conditions for the stable development of the economies of the member states in the interests of improving the living standards of their populations, as well as for comprehensive modernization, cooperation and increasing the competitiveness of national economies in the global economy.

The EAEU carries out its activities within the competence granted to it by the member states in accordance with the Treaty on the Union, on the basis of respect for the generally recognized principles of international law, including the principles sovereign equality member states and their territorial integrity; based on respect for particularities political structure Member States; based on ensuring mutually beneficial cooperation, equality and taking into account the national interests of the parties; based on principles market economy and fair competition.

The main body of the Union is the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council (SEEC), which includes the heads of member states. SEEC meetings are held at least once a year. The structure of the EAEU bodies is also formed by the Intergovernmental Council at the level of heads of government, the Eurasian Economic Commission and the Court of the Union.

Reference:

Bodies of the Union:

The Supreme Council is the highest body of the EAEU, which includes the Presidents of the Union member states.

The Intergovernmental Council is a body of the Union, which includes the Prime Ministers of the member states, which considers strategically important issues development of Eurasian economic integration.

The EAEU 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 Eurasian Economic Commission is a permanent supranational regulatory body of the Union, which is formed by the Council of the Commission and the Board of the Commission. The main objectives 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 EAEU.

The Council of the Commission includes the Deputy Prime Ministers of the Union member states.

The composition of the EEC Board is formed by the Chairman and Ministers of the Commission.

The main functional innovations of the Treaty on the EAEU in comparison with the stages of the Customs Union and the Common Economic Space:

The Treaty on the EAEU consolidated the agreement of the member states on the implementation of a coordinated energy policy and the formation on the basis general principles general energy markets (electricity, gas, oil and petroleum products markets). The document assumes that this task will be implemented in several stages and finally completed by 2025: the formation of a common electricity market is expected to be completed by 2019, and a common hydrocarbon market by 2025.

The Treaty on the EAEU defines the regime for regulating the circulation of medicines and medical devices - within the Union, by January 1, 2016, a common market for medicines and a common market for medical products (medical products and medical equipment) will be created.

The Agreement defines the main priorities of transport policy in the territory of the Eurasian Economic Union for the long term. The parties agreed on a step-by-step liberalization of transport transportation on the territory of the newly created Union, which, first of all, concerns road and rail transport.

An agreement was reached on the formation and implementation of a coordinated agro-industrial policy. It is important that the implementation of policies in other areas of integration interaction, including in the field of ensuring sanitary, phytosanitary and veterinary-sanitary measures in relation to agricultural products, will be carried out taking into account the goals, objectives and directions of the agreed agro-industrial policy.

The effective functioning of the Eurasian Economic Union cannot be imagined without the implementation of a coordinated macroeconomic policy, which provides for the development and implementation of joint actions of the Union member states in order to achieve balanced economic development. According to the Treaty, the main directions of implementing a coordinated macroeconomic policy are the formation of common principles for the functioning of the economies of the Union member states, ensuring their effective interaction, as well as the development of general principles and guidelines for forecasting the socio-economic development of the Parties.

To ensure coordinated regulation of financial markets, based on the results of step-by-step harmonization of legislation, the EAEU member states agreed on the need to create a single supranational body for regulating the financial market by 2025.

The Treaty on the EAEU assumes that from January 1, 2015, a single market for services will begin to function in a number of sectors defined by the Union member states. At the same time, the national regime is laid down as a basis, i.e. the state is obliged to adopt a full-fledged national regime in relation to the service provider and partner countries; there cannot be any restrictions. In the future, the Parties will strive to maximize the expansion of these sectors, including through a gradual reduction of exemptions and restrictions, which will certainly strengthen the Eurasian integration project.

According to the Treaty on the EAEU, the single market for services within the Union operates in service sectors approved by the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council at the level of heads of state on the basis of agreed proposals of the member states and the Commission. Based on the Treaty, by decision of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council on December 23, 2014, lists of service sectors were approved in which the single market will begin to function on January 1, 2015. Currently, according to proposals from Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia, more than 40 service sectors can be included in the list of services (construction services, services in the field of wholesale/retail trade, services related to agriculture, including sowing, processing, harvesting crops, etc.). The list of sectors in which the rules of the single market for services must be ensured is subject to gradual and agreed upon expansion. In service sectors where a single market for services does not operate, providers and recipients of services are provided with national and most favored nation treatment, and quantitative and investment restrictions are not applied.

From January 1, 2015, a common labor market will begin to function in the territories of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia; will be implementedfreedom of movement of labor. Citizens of these states will work under the same conditions: tworkers in the EAEU member states will not need to obtain work permits within the Union.With the creation of a common labor market, citizens of the EAEU countries can directly experience the benefits of the Eurasian Economic Union. Mutual recognition of diplomas will be carried out automatically from January 1, 2015. Income tax for individuals who are citizens of the EAEU member states will be paid at the internal resident rate from the first days of employment. Citizens of the EAEU countries will stopfill migration cards when crossing the internal borders of the EAEU countries,if their stay does not exceed 30 days from the date of entry. In addition, workers and members of their family are exempt from the obligation to register (register) with internal affairs bodies for a period of stay of up to 30 days.

Another important novelty of the Treaty on the EAEU: the possibility of applying national treatment for citizens of all four countries in part social security, including medical care. In each country within the EAEU, all medical services guaranteed by the state will be equally available to all citizens of the Union countries. ( It's about, first of all, aboutfree provision of emergency medical services).

As for pensions, the Treaty on the EAEU contains an obligation to resolve the issue of exporting pensions and crediting work experience accumulated in another member state of the Union. Currently, the EEC, together with the Parties, is working on a Pension Agreement, which will come into force after 2015.

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 increasing the living standards of the population of the member states. 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 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 work of the EurAsEC and came to the conclusion that the format of this union had justified itself, but had exhausted itself. The Interstate Council of the EurAsEC adopted the Treaty “On the termination of the activities of the Eurasian economic community" On May 29, 2014, an agreement on the creation 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, President of Kyrgyzstan Almazbek Atambaev signed the Treaty of Accession to the Eurasian Union Kyrgyz Republic. In order to become a full member of the EAEU, the country needed time to bring its infrastructure 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 member countries of the union.

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

The macroeconomic effect from the integration of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan 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 member countries due to the entry of new countries into the market.
• Increase in average wages, thanks to reduced costs and increased 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.

Supreme Eurasian Economic Council– the highest body of the Union, which includes the Presidents of the Union member states. It meets at least once a year and the decisions taken by the Council are binding in all member states.

Eurasian Intergovernmental Economic Council– a body composed of the heads of government of member states. Meets at least twice a year.

Eurasian Economic Commission is a permanent supranational regulatory body of the Union, which is formed by the Council of the Commission and the Board of the Commission. 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.

Union Court– the judicial body of the Union, ensuring the application by 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 industrial complexes of the EAEU countries, import substitution of industrial goods in the common market of the union and increasing exports of manufacturing products.

Areas of activity:

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

The issue of the formation and functioning of Eurasian technological platforms as an effective tool for implementing industrial cooperation within the Union is being considered. They will be created on the basis of public-private partnership. To date, seven pilot Eurasian technology platforms have already been formed (“Supercomputers”, “Medicine of the Future”, “LEDs”, “Photonics”, “Light Industry”, “Technologies of the food and processing industry of the agro-industrial complex” and “Bioenergy”). With the help of these platforms, the internal market of the EAEU will not only 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, possessing international legal personality and established by the Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union” (EAEU. Official website).

The Agreement “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 freedom of movement of goods, services, capital and labor, as well as the implementation of a coordinated, coordinated or unified policy in economic sectors. The fundamental principles of the EAEU were created for the purpose of comprehensive modernization, cooperation and increasing the competitiveness of the national economies of the member countries and creating conditions for stable development in the interests of improving the living standards of the population of the member states.

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

EAEU governing bodies:

• The Supreme Eurasian Economic Council is the highest body of the Union, which includes the presidents of the Union member states;
• The Eurasian Intergovernmental Economic Council is a body composed of heads of government of 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 Board of the Commission. The main objectives 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 Court of the Union is the judicial body of the Union, ensuring the application by member states and bodies of the Union of the Treaty on the EAEU and other international treaties within the Union.

Key milestones in the development of the EAEU

1994– in Moscow the idea (N.A. Nazarbayev) of forming the Eurasian Union of States was first voiced; in the presented integration project The name 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 eliminating obstacles to free economic interaction between economic entities of the parties, ensuring free exchange of goods and fair competition and ultimately guaranteeing sustainable development national economies.

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

1999– the Agreement 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 process of forming the Customs Union and the Common Economic Space.

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

2007– the Agreement 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 was signed in Dushanbe, which sets the goal of “ensuring the free movement of goods in mutual trade and favorable conditions 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 Unified Customs Tariff was introduced, customs clearance and customs control at internal borders were abolished, unimpeded movement of goods was ensured on the territory of the three states; 17 basic international treaties were adopted, creating the basis for the beginning 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 was signed (by the presidents of the three countries), in order to ensure harmonious, complementary and mutually beneficial cooperation with other countries, international economic associations and European Union with the goal of creating 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 (SES)”, based “on the principles of compliance with generally accepted norms of international law, including respect sovereignty and equality of states, affirmation of fundamental human rights and freedoms, the rule of law and a market economy"; a decision was made “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”, which determined the entry into force of the agreements forming the Common Economic Space from January 1, 2012.

2012– entry into force of international treaties that form the legal basis for the Common Economic Space of the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation, creating the basis for the free movement of not only goods, but also services, capital and labor; the beginning of the work of the Eurasian Economic Commission with headquarters in Moscow.

2014– signing of the Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) (by the presidents of the CU and SES member states), 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).

The idea was proposed by the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev. Back in 1994, he came up with an initiative to unite the countries of Eurasia, which would be based on a common economic space and defense policy.

Twenty years later

On May 29, 2014, in Astana, the presidents of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan signed an agreement on the Eurasian Economic Union, which came into force on January 1, 2015. The next day - January 2 - Armenia became a member of the union, and on August 12 of the same year, Kyrgyzstan joined the organization.

For twenty years, since Nazarbayev's proposal, there has been forward movement. In 1995, Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus signed an agreement on the Customs Union, designed to ensure free exchange of goods between states, as well as fair competition among business entities.

Thus, the first stone was laid in the integration of the former republics of the USSR, based on deeper principles than those on which the Commonwealth was founded independent states(CIS), created at the time of collapse Soviet Union.

Other states in the region have also shown interest in the Customs Union; in particular, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have joined it. The process smoothly moved to a new stage - in 1999, the countries participating in the Customs Union signed an agreement on the Common Economic Space, and in the following 2000, Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan established the Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC).

Things didn't always go smoothly. Disagreements arose between the states, but in the disputes a legal basis for cooperation was born - in 2010, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Belarus and the Republic of Kazakhstan signed 17 basic international treaties, on the basis of which the Customs Union began to operate in a new way. A unified customs tariff was adopted, customs clearance and customs control at internal borders were abolished, and the movement of goods in the territory of the three states became unhindered.

The following year, 2011, countries moved to create a single economic space. In December, a corresponding agreement was signed between Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, which came into force on January 1, 2012. According to the agreement, not only goods, but also services, capital, and labor began to move freely on the territory of these countries.

The Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) has become a logical continuation of this process.

Objectives of the Union

The main goals of the creation of the EAEU according to the agreement are stated:

• creating conditions for the stable development of the economies of states that have joined the organization, in the interests of improving the living standards of their population;
• the formation within the framework of the union of a single market for goods, services, capital and labor resources;
• comprehensive modernization, cooperation and increasing the competitiveness of national economies in the context of the process of economic globalization.

Controls

The main body of the EAEU is the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council, which consists of the heads of state of the organization’s members. The tasks of the Council include resolving strategically important issues of the functioning of the union, determining directions of activity, prospects for the development of integration, and making decisions aimed at realizing the goals of the EAEU.

Regular meetings of the council are held at least once a year, and extraordinary meetings are convened on the initiative of any member state of the organization or acting on at the moment Chairman of the Council.

Another governing body of the EAEU is the Intergovernmental Council, which includes heads of government. Its meetings are held at least twice a year. The agenda of the meetings is formed by the permanent regulatory body of the Union - the Eurasian Economic Commission, whose powers include:

• Transfer and distribution of import customs duties;
• establishment of trade regimes in relation to third countries;
• statistics of foreign and mutual trade;
• industrial and agricultural subsidies;
• energy policy;
• natural monopolies;
• mutual trade in services and investments;
• transport and transportation;
• monetary policy;
• protection and protection of the results of intellectual activity and means of individualization of goods, works and services;
• customs tariff and non-tariff regulation;
• customs administration;
• and others, in total about 170 functions of the EAEU.

There is also a permanent Court of the Union, which consists of two judges from each state. The court considers disputes arising on the implementation of the main treaty and international treaties within the Union and its decisions governing bodies. Both member states of the Union and individual entrepreneurs operating on their territory can apply to the court.

Membership in the EAEU

The Union is open for any state to join it, and not only from the Eurasian region. The main thing is to share its goals and principles, as well as to comply with the conditions agreed upon with the members of the EAEU.

At the first stage, it is necessary to obtain the status of a candidate state. To do this, it is necessary to send a corresponding appeal to the Chairman of the Supreme Council. Under his leadership, the council will decide whether or not to grant candidate state status to the applicant. If the decision is positive, a working group will be created; it consists of representatives of the candidate state, current members of the Union, and its governing bodies.

The working group determines the degree of readiness of the candidate state to accept the obligations arising from the fundamental documents of the Union, then the working group develops a plan of activities necessary for joining the organization, determines the scope of the rights and obligations of the candidate state, and then the format of its participation in the work of the bodies of the Union .

Currently, there are a number of potential applicants for candidate status to join the EAEU. Among them are the following states:

• Tajikistan;
• Moldova;
• Uzbekistan;
• Mongolia;
• Türkiye;
• Tunisia;
• Iran;
• Syria;
• Turkmenistan.

According to experts, the most ready countries for cooperation in this format are Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Another form of cooperation with the EAEU is the status of an observer state. It is acquired in the same way as the status of a candidate for membership and gives the right to take part in the work of the Council’s bodies and to get acquainted with accepted documents, with the exception of documents that are confidential.

On May 14, 2018, Moldova received EAEU observer status. In general, according to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, about 50 states are currently interested in cooperation with the Eurasian Economic Union.

Every year the world moves further along the path of globalization and integration. Ties within economic and political unions are becoming stronger, and new interstate associations are emerging. One of such organizations is the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). Let's learn more about the work of this regional association.

The essence of the EAEU

What is the Eurasian Economic Union? This international association, aimed at the economic integration of a number of countries located in Europe and Asia. Currently, it only includes a number of states of the former Soviet Union, but this does not mean that, theoretically, the EAEU cannot expand beyond the borders of the former USSR.

It should be noted that members of the Eurasian Economic Union are expanding cooperation among themselves not only in economic terms, but also in political and cultural aspects.

Organizational goals

The main goal that the Eurasian Economic Union sets for itself is to deepen economic interaction between its member countries. This is expressed in local tasks, such as stimulating trade circulation between countries, removing customs and tax restrictions on trade, developing cooperation and developing common economic projects. The result of deepening cooperation should be the growth of the economies of the participating countries and an increase in the living standards of their citizens.

The main tool for achieving the strategic goal is to ensure free trade, which is expressed in unimpeded movement commodity values, capital, labor and other resources within the borders of the EAEU.

Background of creation

Let's find out how such an organization as the Eurasian Economic Union was formed.

The beginning of the reintegration of states in the open spaces former USSR marked the creation of the CIS. The agreement on the formation of this entity was signed in December 1991 between the heads of the RSFSR, Belarus and Ukraine. Later, until 1994 inclusive, all Soviet republics, except the Baltic countries, joined it. True, Turkmenistan takes part in the organization as an association; the Ukrainian parliament has never ratified the agreement, therefore, although the country is a founder and participant in the association, it is not legally a member, and Georgia left the CIS in 2008.

At the same time, during their work, the Commonwealth institutions have shown their low efficiency. The decisions of the CIS bodies were in fact not binding on its members and were often not implemented, but economic effect from cooperation was minimal. This has forced the governments of some countries in the region to think about creating more effective systems of interaction.

The President of Kazakhstan made a statement about the need to create a closer union than the CIS, which would imply systemic integration of the economies of the participating countries, as well as a common defense policy. By analogy with the European Union, he named the hypothetical organization Eurasian Union. As we can see, the name stuck and was used in the future to create a new economic structure.

The next step on the path of mutual integration was the signing in 1996 between the leaders of Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan of the Agreement on Deepening Integration. Its action covered both economic and humanitarian spheres.

EurAsEC is the predecessor of the EAEU

In 2001, the integration aspirations of the above countries, as well as Tajikistan, which joined them, were expressed in the creation of a full-fledged international organization - the Eurasian Economic Community. In 2006, Uzbekistan became a member of the EurAsEC, but only after two years it suspended its participation in the organization. Ukraine, Moldova and Armenia received observer status.

The purpose of this organization was to deepen economic cooperation in the region, as well as the implementation of some tasks that the CIS could not cope with. It was a natural continuation of the integration processes that were launched by the 1996 agreement, and the Eurasian Economic Union was the result of common efforts.

Organization of the Customs Union

One of the main tasks of the EurAsEC was the organization of the Customs Union. It provided for a single customs territory. That is, within the boundaries of this interstate association When moving goods, customs duties were not levied.

The agreement on the formation of the Customs Union between representatives of Kazakhstan, Russia and Belarus was signed back in 2007. But before the organization could begin to fully function, each of the participating countries had to make appropriate changes to their domestic legislation.

TS began its activities in January 2010. First of all, this was expressed in the formation of identical customs tariffs. The Unified Customs Code came into effect in July. It served as the foundation on which the entire TS system rests. This is how the Customs Code of the Eurasian Economic Union was formed, which is still in force today.

In 2011, a common customs territory began to function, which meant the abolition of all customs restrictions between the CU countries.

During 2014-2015, Kyrgyzstan and Armenia also joined the Customs Union. Representatives power structures Tunisia and Syria expressed their desire for their countries to join the CU organization in the future.

The Customs Union and the Eurasian Economic Union are, in fact, components of the same regional integration process.

Education of the EAEU

The Eurasian Economic Union is the final result of the integration aspirations of a number of countries of the former Soviet Union. The decision to create this organization was made at the summit of the heads of EurAsEC members back in 2010. Since 2012, the Common Economic Space began to function, on the basis of which the formation of the EAEU was planned.

In May 2014, an agreement was agreed between the heads of Kazakhstan, Russia and Belarus on the creation of this organization. In fact, it came into force at the beginning of 2015. Due to this fact, the EurAsEC was liquidated.

Participating countries

Initially, the founding countries of the EurAsEC organization were the states that were most interested in economic integration in the region. These are Kazakhstan, Belarus and Russia. Later they were joined by Armenia and Kyrgyzstan.

Thus, currently the member states of the Eurasian Economic Union are represented by five countries.

Extension

The United Eurasian Economic Union is not a structure with fixed borders. Hypothetically, any country that meets the requirements of the organization can become its member. Thus, in January 2015, Armenia became a member of the union, and in August Kyrgyzstan joined the organization.

The most likely candidate to join the community is Tajikistan. This country cooperates closely with the EAEU states within the framework of other regional organizations and does not remain aloof from integration processes. Tajikistan is a member of the CIS, the collective defense organization of the CSTO, and at one time was a full member of the EurAsEC community, which ceased to exist after the EAEU began functioning. In 2014, the President of Tajikistan announced the need to study the possibility of the country joining the EAEU.

In 2012-2013, negotiations were held on the possible future entry into the organization of Ukraine, since regional cooperation without this country, according to experts, could not give the maximum effect. But political elite the state was committed to integration in the European direction. After the overthrow of the Yanukovych government in 2014, the possibility of Ukraine joining the EAEU can only be realistic in the long term.

Controls

Members of the Eurasian Economic Union formed the governing bodies of this international organization.

The Supreme Eurasian Economic Council is the governing body of the EAEU at the highest level. It includes heads that represent the states of the Eurasian Economic Union. This body resolves all the most important strategic issues. He holds a meeting once a year. Decisions are made exclusively unanimously. The countries of the Eurasian Economic Union are obliged to comply with all decisions of the Supreme Council of the EAEU.

Naturally, a body that meets once a year cannot fully ensure the constant functioning of the entire organization. For these purposes, a commission of the Eurasian Economic Union (Eurasian Economic Commission) was created. The tasks of this structure include the preparation and implementation of specific integration measures, which are provided for by the general development strategy developed by the Supreme Council. Currently, the commission employs 1,071 people who have received the status of international employees.

The executive body of the commission is the Collegium. It consists of fourteen people. In fact, each of them is an analogue of ministers in national governments and is responsible for a specific area of ​​activity: economy, energy, customs cooperation, trade, etc.

Economic interaction

The main goal of creating the EAEU is to deepen economic integration between the countries of the region. Therefore, it is not surprising that economics comes first in the organization’s tasks.

Within the boundaries of the organization, the Customs Code of the Eurasian Economic Union, adopted back in 2010, before the start of the functioning of the EAEU, is in force. It provides for the free movement of goods without customs control in the territory of all countries of the organization.

Application economic instruments, provided for by the EAEU development concept, is intended to reduce the cost of goods that cross the border due to the absence of a customs margin on them; increase competition, which should cause an increase in product quality; bring tax legislation in all countries to a common denominator; increase the GDP of the organization’s members and the welfare of their citizens.

Criticism

At the same time, there are many critical reviews of the work of the EAEU among economic analysts. Moreover, they exist both among ardent opponents of the existence of such an organization, and among its moderate supporters.

Thus, the fact that the project was actually launched before all the nuances of its mechanisms had been worked out and agreements had been reached on the prospects of the EAEU has been criticized. It is also noted that in fact the union is not so much pursuing economic goals, as much as it is political, but in economic terms it is not beneficial for all its members, including Russia.

Prospects

At the same time, the prospects for the EAEU with making the right choice the economic course and coordination of actions between the participants look quite good. A significant economic effect is noticeable even under the conditions of sanctions imposed on Russia by Western countries. In the future, it is planned that the effect of participation in the EAEU will be expressed in a 25 percent increase in GDP for all its participants.

In addition, there is a possibility of further expansion of the organization. Many countries of the world are interested in cooperation with the EAEU without joining the union. For example, a free trade zone will soon begin to operate between the community and Vietnam. The governments of Iran, China, India, Egypt, Pakistan and a number of other states have also expressed interest in establishing such relations.

Subtotals

It is still too early to talk about how successful the implementation of the EAEU was, because the organization is barely functioning more than a year. At the same time, certain intermediate results can be drawn right now.

It is a great achievement that the organization actually works and is not a structure created just for show. This is especially significant in the context of international economic sanctions against the country, which, in fact, is the cementing basis of the union - Russia.

At the same time, despite many positive aspects, it should be noted that the EAEU does not function as clearly as those who saw the future of this organization only in rosy colors would like. There are many disagreements both at the level of senior leadership of the participating countries and in terms of coordination small parts, which leads to a decrease in the efficiency of economic returns this project generally.

But let’s hope that the shortcomings will be resolved over time, and the EAEU will turn into a clear mechanism that works effectively for the benefit of all its members.