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Customs Union within the Eurasian Economic Community. Eurasian Economic Union - what is it? EAEU Member States

The Customs Union is an organization designed to facilitate the management of external economic activity between the countries of Eurasia. At the moment in list of countries of the customs union includes the Russian Federation, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan. In this article, we will dwell in more detail on the history of the union, as well as on the rights and obligations that its members have.

Customs Union: stages of formation

The Customs Union was first created in 1995, when six member countries signed the first agreement on the start of this organization. Initially, the list of countries of the customs union included Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, but later they (for a number of reasons) withdrew from this union. The customs union was finally secured by a document dated 2007, and in 2011 all customs control was moved outside the states that are members of the union. Thus, trade and transportation of goods within the countries that are part of this organization is greatly simplified.

At various times, other countries from the continent wanted to join the Customs Union. For example, in 2013, such an intention was expressed by Syria and Tajikistan. And in 2016, such a possibility was even discussed in Tunisia. Under special conditions, trade is also carried out with Serbia, which has signed agreements on the simplification of the customs regime with all countries. Customs Union. Many mistakenly believe that Ukraine was also included in the list of countries of the customs union. However, in fact, such an agreement was never signed, as it was not compatible with Ukraine's intentions to join the EU.

Benefits of a customs union

Eurasian Economic Union - international organization regional economic integration, with international legal personality and established by the Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union. The EAEU ensures the freedom of movement of goods, services, capital and work force, as well as the implementation of a coordinated, coordinated or unified policy in the sectors of the economy.

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

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

Customs Union of the EAEU

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

The unified customs territory of the Customs Union consists of the territories of the member countries of the Customs Union, as well as artificial islands, installations, structures and other objects in respect of which the Member States of the Customs Union have exclusive jurisdiction.

Member countries of the Customs Union:

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

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

Technical regulation in the EAEU Customs Union

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

The mechanisms incorporated in technical regulation make it possible to eliminate numerous, in many cases artificially created technical barriers to trade, which are a serious problem for business. It helps 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 treaties have been adopted to date, designed to simplify the movement of goods on the territory of the member states:

Agreement on the implementation of a coordinated policy in the field of technical regulation, sanitary, veterinary and phytosanitary measures;
Agreement on unified principles and rules of technical regulation;
Agreement on the basics of harmonization of technical regulations;
Agreement on the use of the Unified Mark of Products Circulation on the Market of the EAEU Member States;
Establishment Agreement information system EAEU in the field of technical regulation, sanitary, veterinary and phytosanitary measures;
Agreement on the circulation of products subject to mandatory assessment (confirmation) of conformity in the territory of the Customs Union;
Agreement on mutual recognition of accreditation of certification bodies (conformity assessment) and testing laboratories (centers) performing work on conformity assessment.

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

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 created a huge unified customs territory, within which goods are moved without the cost of crossing customs borders.

Although the Customs Union was legally created in 2010, it actually began to work only on July 1, 2011, when the 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 work. At the moment, five states are members of the Customs Union - Russia, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Belarus and Kyrgyzstan. Several more countries are official candidates for membership in the organization or are considering this step.

Russia

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

Kazakhstan

For Kazakhstan, participation in the Customs Union is first of all good because it made it possible to enter the union, which gives a total of up to 16% of world grain exports. Working in the same field, Kazakhstan and Russia got 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 partly integrated with Russia into a single customs and economic field, participation in the Customs Union allowed expanding the geography of preferential supplies of its products to several more countries, and also increased the inflow of investments, in particular, from Kazakhstan. According to experts' forecasts, participation in the CU 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 whose aggregate volume greatly exceeds their economic capacity, so they predict an acceleration in GDP growth and the general welfare of the population.

On the whole, the Customs Union is viewed as a mutually beneficial economic partnership of geographically and mentally close countries that have equal rights and opportunities within the association. Given the prospects for new members to join, 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 purpose of which is the economic and political rapprochement of the post-Soviet countries (at the same time, this association can potentially attract many other Eurasian countries outside the former USSR). To date Eurasian integration implemented in the form of a number of unions at various levels, the most important of which are the Customs Union of the EAEU and the Eurasian Economic Union.

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

At the EAEU level, a common market of 183 million people was formed. The 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 a coordinated policy in energy, industry, agriculture, transport.

[edit] History of Eurasian integration

In ancient times, on the territory of Eurasia in the regions of present-day Central and Central Asia, Southern Siberia, the Black Sea region, the Caucasus and the South of European Russia, there were large public 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 (Slavs, Armenians, Ossetians, Tajiks, etc. belong to the Indo-European peoples), Turks (Kazakhs, Kirghiz, Tatars, Uzbeks, etc.) and Finno-Ugric peoples ( Karelians, Mordvins, Udmurts, Mari, Komi, etc.). Scythians, Sarmatians, Huns, Turks, Khazars, Mongols created their state-empires in the space of Eurasia.

Since the 16th century, Russia has become the largest state in the Eurasian space (in the 20th century, the Soviet Union). With the advent of Russia to Eurasia, it became possible to unite this most important geopolitical region on the basis of agriculture and industrial production, while the Eurasian traditions of cattle breeding and nomadic economy 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 not yet emerged. It is very characteristic that the collapse Soviet Union Kazakhstan and some other Asian republics of the USSR resisted the most.

The initiator of the Eurasian reintegration can rightfully be considered the President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, who presented in March 1994 a draft 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-fledged integration had to be postponed. However, the unification process has begun. 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] Timeline of integration

October 10, 2000- in Astana (Kazakhstan), the heads of state (Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan) signed the Treaty on the Establishment of 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. The EurAsEC has become the first effective organization to ensure the integration process in the Eurasian space.

May 30, 2001- came into force an agreement on the creation EurAsEC as part of Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. In 2006-2008 Uzbekistan also participated in the EurAsEC, since 2002 Ukraine and Moldova have received observer status, and since 2003 - Armenia.

February 23, 2003- The presidents of Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus and Ukraine announced their intention to form the Common Economic Space (CES).

October 6, 2007- Dushanbe (Tajikistan) hosted the EurAsEC summit, which adopted the concept of the Customs Union of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus. Created Commission of the Customs Union- a single permanent regulatory body of the EurAsEC Customs Union (in 2012, powers were transferred to the Eurasian Commission).

July 6, 2010- entered into force agreements on Customs Union (CU) as part of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus, earned Uniform Customs Code.

December 9, 2010- Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus signed all 17 documents on the creation Common Economic Space (CES)(agreements on uniform competition rules, on the regulation of agricultural support 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 public procurement, on the status of migrants and counteracting illegal migration from third countries , on a coordinated macroeconomic and monetary policy, 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 oil products).

July 1, 2011- earned Single customs territory Customs Union: on the borders of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus, customs control was canceled (it was transferred 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, the Treaty on CIS free trade zone. The FTA of the CIS provides for "minimization of exceptions from the nomenclature of goods to which import duties are applied", export duties should be fixed at a certain level, and subsequently phased out.

November 18, 2011- an agreement was signed on the establishment of the Eurasian Economic Commission.

January 1, 2012- as a result of the entry into force of the relevant treaty, a Common Economic Space (SES) as a common market, Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan (since 2014 - CES of the Eurasian Economic Union), has earned Eurasian Commission. The task of the CES is to ensure the "four freedoms" - the movement of goods, capital, services and labor - as well as to ensure the beginning of the coordination of the economic policies of the member states in relation to macroeconomics, finance, transport and energy, trade, industry and agriculture.

September 20, 2012- an agreement entered into force FTA CIS 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 special order Uzbekistan joined the FTA, while Tajikistan, although it signed the agreement, did not ratify it.

May 29, 2014- Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan signed agreement on the establishment of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).

October 10, 2014- Armenia joined the Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union. The EurAsEC organization was liquidated in connection with the fulfillment of its mission and the formation of the Eurasian Economic Union.

December 23, 2014- Kyrgyzstan joined (signed accession agreements) to the Eurasian Economic Union. The accession of Armenia to the EAEU has been approved.

January 1, 2015- the agreement on the EAEU came into force, thus Eurasian Economic Union established.

May 8, 2015- Presidents of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Armenia signed documents on the accession of Kyrgyzstan 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 between the EAEU and Vietnam was signed.

May 27, 2015- Egypt has applied for a free trade zone with the EAEU.

August 12, 2015- The Eurasian Union has canceled 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 establishment of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), which will enter 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 intensifying compared to integration at the level of the Customs Union. The Allied States undertake to guarantee the free movement of goods and services, capital and labor, as well as to implement a coordinated policy in key sectors of the economy: energy, industry, agriculture, and 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 at the Eurasian Economic Union (since April 14, 2017)

Other potential members

Tajikistan- In 2012, he announced his intention to join the CU 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 the mouth of 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. The key points of the CES agreements have been in operation since July 2012. The customs union is part of the CES agreements.

The CES is designed to ensure the freedom of movement of goods, capital, services and labor between member states. Also, the goal is 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 CES 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 CES.

[edit] Customs union

Customs Union of the EAEU(until 2014 - the Customs Union of the Eurasian Economic Community, the CU of the EurAsEC) is one of the forms of economic integration in the post-Soviet space. In the people and the media, this organization is simply referred to as "TS". It is the term "Customs Union" in 2010-2014. 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 on all participating States.

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

[edit] Composition

Currently, the Customs Union includes the following states:

[edit] TC Candidates

Tajikistan- In 2012, he announced his intention to join the CU 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 CU and the EAEU in 2016.
Moldova- April 14, 2017 received the status of an observer state at the Eurasian Economic Union. Since, as of 2017, in Moldova, the president is in favor of Eurasian integration, and the parliament is against it, the further fate of integration with Moldova depends on the development of the internal situation in this country.
- Gagauzia- at a referendum held in 2014, she advocated joining the Customs Union. It should be noted that the Gagauz autonomy is not an independent country either de jure or de facto. It is an autonomous republic within Moldova.

Syria- also announced its desire to join the Customs Union back in 2010. At present, the signing of an agreement on a free trade zone between Syria and the Customs Union is being prepared.

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

Abkhazia- February 16, 2010 informally announced its desire to enter the Customs Union.

South Ossetia- October 15, 2013 announced its intention to join the Customs Union.

Donetsk People's Republic

Luhansk People's Republic- in 2014 announced its intention to join the Customs Union.

Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic- February 16, 2012 announced its intention to join the Customs Union.

Former potential candidates

Ukraine- according to its long tradition, the Ukrainian leadership tried to sit on two chairs at the same time, drawing 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 the civil war in Ukraine. The current Ukrainian leadership has set a course for the so-called "European association", which involves the introduction of European rules and regulations in Ukraine, as well as the opening of the domestic market for European manufacturers. In fact, this is ruining and in many ways has already ruined the remnants of 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 Commonwealth Free Trade Area (CIS FTA) between Belarus, Russia and Ukraine, which ratified the agreement, was launched. In 2012-2013 Kazakhstan, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan and Moldova also ratified the agreement, Uzbekistan joined the FTA in a special order, and Tajikistan signed the agreement, but has not yet ratified it.

The free trade area provides for "minimizing exceptions to the range of goods subject to import duties," and export duties must first be fixed and then phased out.

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

In 2014, it was planned to sign a similar free trade zone agreement with New Zealand (now questionable due to New Zealand's participation in anti-Russian sanctions). Negotiations are also underway to conclude such agreements 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, about 50 countries expressed their desire to cooperate with the EAEU as of the beginning of 2017.

[edit] Signatories of the FTA

Vietnam- the agreement was signed on May 29, 2015. Entered 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 President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, on June 2 - by President of Kyrgyzstan Almazbek Atambayev.

[edit] FTA under negotiation

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 started in 2015.
Mongolia- will begin the stage of negotiations on a free trade area and possible accession from autumn 2016.
Serbia- is negotiating the creation of an FTA with the EAEU

[edit] Expressed interest in cooperation

[edit] What gives accession to the EAEU

The EAEU is designed to improve economic interaction and significantly simplify the life of citizens of the Eurasian countries in a number of ways:

Procedures will be relaxed or removed customs control.
Economic, transport, energy and migration policies will be coordinated.
Legislation regarding business and trade will be partially unified.
On June 19, 2015, it was announced that international roaming would be canceled on the territory of the EAEU.

[edit] Western reactions

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 US will try to prevent the re-creation of the Soviet Union."

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

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

Putin, meanwhile, does not miss an opportunity to poke fun at the Europeans who are now suffering from separatist sentiments, hinting at an invitation to the Customs Union of certain European countries. Nazarbayev admits Turkey's involvement in the Eurasian integration.

Customs Union countries: list

In the modern world, many countries unite in unions - political, economic, religious and others. One of the largest such unions was the Soviet one. Now we are seeing the emergence of the European, Eurasian and 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 no duties, etc., but also a number of points regulating trade with third countries. This agreement was signed on 06.10.2007 in Dushanbe, at the time of its conclusion, the union included the Russian Federation, Kazakhstan and Belarus.

The first article of the agreement on the movement of goods within this territory says the following:

Customs duty is not charged. And not only for goods. own production but also for cargo from third countries.
There are no economic restrictions, except for compensatory, 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, which were its founders or joined later, and those that only expressed a desire to join.

Membership candidates:

TC leaders

There was a special commission of the Customs Union, which was approved at the time of signing the agreement on the Customs Union. Its rules were the basis legal activity organizations. The structure worked and remained within this legal framework until July 1, 2012, that is, until the creation of the EEC. The supreme 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)).

At the level of heads of government, prime ministers were represented:

Russia - Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev;
Kazakhstan - Karim Kazhimkanovich Massimov;
Belarus - Sergei Sergeevich Sidorsky.

Purpose of the Customs Union

The countries of the Customs Union, under the main goal of creating a single regulatory body, meant the formation of a common territory, which will include several states, and all duties on products are canceled on their territory.

The second goal was to protect our own interests and markets, first of all - from harmful, low-quality, as well as competitive products, which makes it possible to smooth out all the shortcomings in the trade and economic sphere. This is very important, since the protection of the interests of their 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 benefit is obvious for those enterprises that can easily carry out purchases in neighboring countries. Most likely, it will be only large corporations and companies. As for the outlook for the future, contrary to some economists' predictions that the Customs Union would lead to lower wages in the participating countries, at the official level, the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan announced the increase in salaries in the state in 2015.

That is why the world experience of such large economic formations cannot be attributed to this case. The countries that have joined the Customs Union are expecting a steady, if not rapid, growth of economic ties.

Treaty

The final version of the Agreement on the Customs Code of the Customs Union was adopted only at the tenth meeting, 26.10.2009. This pact spoke about the creation of special groups that would monitor the activities for the implementation of the revised draft treaty.

The countries of the Customs Union had until 01.07.2010 to amend their legislation to eliminate contradictions between this Code and the Constitution. Thus, another contact group was created to resolve issues related to differences between national legal systems.

Also, all the nuances related to the territories of the Customs Union have been finalized.

Territory of the Customs Union

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

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

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

The total budget of this union is formed exclusively in Russian rubles, thanks to 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 regulation 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.

Union bodies

The supreme regulatory body is considered to be the Supreme Council, which includes the heads of the member states.

A judiciary has also been created, which is responsible for the application of treaties within the Union.

The Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) is a regulatory body that ensures 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 member states of the Union) and the Chairman.

The main provisions of the Treaty on the EAEU

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

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 given to transport policy on the territory of the EAEU states, without which it will not be possible to create any 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 into reality all the planned plans and agreements. Under these conditions, developing general principles interaction and ensure the effective development of countries.

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 offsetting the length of service that has been accumulated in a member state of the Union is also being resolved.

Expert opinions

The list of countries of the Customs Union in the near future may be replenished with several more states, but, according to experts, in order for full growth and influence on similar Western unions like 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 the dollar for a long time, and the impact of recent sanctions has clearly shown how Western politics can work to please their interests, and that neither Russia nor the whole Union can actually do anything about it. . As for Kazakhstan and Belarus specifically, the conflict in Ukraine has shown that they will not give up their benefits in favor of Russia. 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 adequate and the only right decision capable of helping to somehow strengthen relations between states in the event of further pressure from the West on Russia.

Now we know 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 haunted by all sorts of problems, 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 to 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 members of the Eurasian Economic Union, the purpose of which is cancellation of customs payments in trade relations. Based on these agreements, common ways of carrying out economic activity, a platform for quality assessment and certification are being created.

This achieves abolition of customs control on the borders within the Union, are general provisions regulation of economic activity for the external borders of the CU. In view of this, a common customs space is being created, using a generally accepted approach to the implementation of border controls. Another distinctive feature is the equality of citizens of the customs area during employment.

Members

In 2017, the Customs Union consists of the 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, it is known about the proposal to include Turkey in the CU agreement. However, no specific procedures have been adopted so far for the entry of these states into the ranks of the Union.

It is clearly seen that the functioning of the Customs Union is a good help to strengthen economic relations countries located on the territory of the former Soviet countries. It can also be said that the approach established in the agreement by the participating countries speaks of restoration of lost ties in modern conditions.

Customs duties are distributed using a single shared distribution mechanism.

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

Stages of formation

To understand what the activities of the Customs Union are, it will not be superfluous to get 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 establishment of an economic union, signed on September 24, 1993.

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

More than 10 years later, in 2007, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia signed a pact to unite their territories into a single customs region and establish 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 decided that, starting from 2012, a Common Market due to the unification of countries into a single economic space.

On July 1, 2010, another important agreement was concluded, which launched the work of the Common Customs Tariff and the Customs Code.

On July 1, 2011, the current customs control at the borders between the countries was canceled and general rules on the borders with states that are not in agreement. Until 2013, uniform legislative norms for the parties to the agreement are being formed.

2014 - The Republic of Armenia is a member of the Customs Union. 2015 - The Republic of Kyrgyzstan is a member of the Customs Union.

Territory and administration

Consolidation of borders Russian Federation, the Republic of Belarus and the Republic of Kazakhstan became the basis for the emergence of the Common 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 Eurasian Economic Union is managed and coordinated by two organs:

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

Directions and conditions

By creating the Customs Union, the countries proclaimed main goal social and economic progress. In the future, this implies an increase in trade and services that are produced by economic entities.

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

The abolition of customs procedures within the Union, which was supposed to make products manufactured within the single space more attractive, due to the abolition of duties.
Increasing trade through the abolition of customs control on internal borders.
Adoption of uniform requirements and integration of security standards.

Achievement of goals and perspectives

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

But, nevertheless, analyzing the stated goals during the creation of the CU, as well as observing their implementation, one cannot remain silent that the simplification of trade has been achieved, the competitive conditions for economic entities of the CU states have been improved.

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 economic elements within the Union.

Activity analysis

The customs union is made up of countries that have the same economic past, but today these states are very different from each other. Of course, and in Soviet time The republics differed in their specialization, but after gaining independence, there were still a lot of changes that affect the world market and the division of labor.

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

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

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

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

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 Russia's programs for import substitution.

All this served as obstacles for Belarus on the way to achieve its goals in full.

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

Although customs posts at the borders between the parties to the agreement were eliminated, preserved border zones between countries. Sanitary control at internal borders also continued. The absence of trusting relationships in the practice of interaction was revealed. An example of this is the disagreements that flare up from time to time between Russia and Belarus.

To date, it cannot be said that the goals that were declared in the agreement on the creation of the CU have been achieved. This can be seen 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 signing of agreements.

But there are still signs that in the absence of an agreement, the situation would worsen more rapidly. The manifestation of the crisis would have had a larger and deeper character. A significant number of enterprises gain relative benefits by participating in trade relations within the Customs Union.

The agreements signed by the parties benefited the production of cars. Duty-free sale of cars assembled by manufacturers of participating countries has become available. Thus, conditions have been created for the implementation of projects who previously could not be successful.

What is a Customs Union? Details are on the video.

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Among the largest modern international associations is the Eurasian one. Formally, it was established in 2014, but by the time the agreement on its creation was signed, the EAEU member states already had considerable experience of interaction in the mode of active economic integration. What are the specifics of the EAEU? What is it - economic or political association?

General information about the organization

Let's start the study of the question posed by considering the key facts about the relevant organization. What are the most noteworthy facts about the EAEU? What is this structure?

The Eurasian Economic Union, or EAEU, is an association within the framework of international economic cooperation of several states of the Eurasian region - Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus and Armenia. Other countries are expected to join this association, since the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) is an open structure. The main thing is that candidates for joining the association share the goals of this organization and show readiness to fulfill the obligations stipulated by the relevant agreements. The creation of the structure was preceded by the establishment of the Eurasian Economic Community, as well as the Customs Union (which continues to function as one of the structures of the EAEU).

How did the idea of forming the EAEU come about?

As evidenced by a number of sources, the state that was the first to initiate the processes of economic integration in the post-Soviet space, which grew into the establishment of the EAEU, is Kazakhstan. Nursultan Nazarbayev expressed the relevant idea at a speech at Moscow State University in 1994. Subsequently, the concept was supported by other former Soviet republics - Russia, Belarus, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan.

The main advantage of being a member of the Eurasian Economic Union is freedom economic activity entities registered in it on the territory of all member countries of the union. It is expected that on the basis of the institutions of the EAEU a single trading space will soon be formed, characterized by common standards and norms for doing business.

Is there a place for political interaction?

So, what is the EAEU, an exclusively economic structure, or an association, which, perhaps, will be characterized by a political component of integration? At the moment and in the near future, as evidenced by various sources, it would be more correct to speak of the first interpretation of the essence of the association. That is, the political aspect is excluded. Countries will integrate in pursuit of economic interests.

There is evidence of initiatives regarding the creation of some supranational parliamentary structures within the framework of the EAEU. But the Republic of Belarus, Kazakhstan, as evidenced by a number of sources, do not consider the possibility of their participation in building their respective countries. They want to maintain full sovereignty, agreeing only to economic integration.

At the same time, for many experts and ordinary people it is obvious how close the political relations of the countries that are members of the EAEU are. The composition of this structure is formed by the closest allies who do not have publicly expressed fundamental disagreements about the difficult situation on the world stage. This allows some analysts to conclude that economic integration within the association under consideration would be very difficult if there were significant political differences between the member countries of the association.

History of the EAEU

A better understanding of the specifics of the EAEU (what kind of organization it is) will help us to study some facts from the history of the association. In 1995, the heads of several states - Belarus, the Russian Federation, Kazakhstan, a little later - Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, formalized agreements establishing the Customs Union. On their basis, the Eurasian Economic Community, or EurAsEC, was established in 2000. In 2010, a new association appeared - the Customs Union. In 2012, the Common Economic Space was opened - first with the participation of the states that are members of the CU, then - Armenia and Kyrgyzstan joined the structure.

In 2014, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Belarus signed an agreement on the creation of the EAEU. Later, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan joined it. The provisions of the relevant document came into force in 2015. The Customs Union of the EAEU continues, as we noted above, to function. It includes the same countries as the EAEU.

progressive development

Thus, the member states of the EAEU - the Republic of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan - began to interact long before the corresponding association was established in modern form. According to a number of analysts, the Eurasian Economic Union is an example of an international organization with a progressive, systematic development of integration processes, which can predetermine the significant stability of the corresponding structure.

Stages of development of the EAEU

Several stages in the development of the Eurasian Economic Union have been identified. The first is the establishment of a free trade zone, the development of norms according to which trade between the EAEU member countries can be carried out without duties. At the same time, each state retains independence in terms of conducting trade with third countries.

The next stage in the development of the EAEU is the formation of the Customs Union, which implies the formation of an economic space within which the movement of goods will be carried out without hindrance. At the same time, rules common to all countries participating in the association should also be defined. foreign trade.

The most important stage in the development of the union is the formation of a single market. It is expected that it will be created within the framework of which it will be possible to freely exchange not only goods, but also services, capital and personnel - between the member states of the association.

The next stage is the formation of an economic union, the participants of which will be able to coordinate the priorities of the implementation of economic policy among themselves.

After the listed tasks are solved, it remains to achieve full economic integration of the states included in the association. This implies the creation of a supranational structure that will determine priorities in building economic and social policy in all countries that are members of the union.

Advantages of the EAEU

Let's take a closer look at the key benefits that members of the EAEU receive. We noted above that among the key ones is the freedom of economic activity of economic entities that are registered in any state of the union throughout the territory of the EAEU. But this is far from the only advantage of the entry of the state into the organization we are studying.

Members of the EAEU will have the opportunity to:

enjoy the benefits low prices for many goods, as well as reducing the costs associated with the transportation of goods;

Develop markets more dynamically by increasing competition;

Increase labor productivity;

To increase the volume of the economy by increasing the demand for manufactured goods;

Provide employment for citizens.

Prospects for GDP Growth

Even for such economically powerful players as Russia, the EAEU - the most important factor economic growth. Russia's GDP, according to some economists, can, thanks to the country's entry into the association under consideration, receive a very powerful growth stimulus. Other EAEU member countries — Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus — can achieve impressive GDP growth rates.

Social aspect of integration

Apart from the positive economic effect, the EAEU member countries are expected to integrate into social aspect. International business activities, according to many experts, will help establish partnerships and stimulate the strengthening of friendship between nations. Integration processes are facilitated by the common Soviet past of the peoples living in the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union. The cultural and, which is very important, the linguistic proximity of the EAEU states is obvious. The composition of the organization is formed by countries in which the Russian language is familiar to most of the population. Thus, many factors can contribute to the successful solution of the tasks facing the heads of state of the Eurasian Economic Union.

Supranational structures

The Treaty on the EAEU has been signed, it is up to its implementation. Among the most important tasks in the development of the Eurasian Economic Union is the creation of a number of supranational institutions whose activities will be aimed at promoting integration economic processes. According to a number of public sources, the formation of some basic institutions of the EAEU is expected. What structures can these be?

First of all, these are various commissions:

Economics;

Raw materials (she will be engaged in setting prices, as well as quotas for goods and fuel, coordinating the policy in the sphere of circulation of precious metals);

For interstate financial and industrial associations and enterprises;

By entering the currency for settlements;

On environmental issues.

It is also planned to create a special Fund, the competence of which is cooperation in various fields: in the economy, in the field of science and technology development. It is assumed that this organization will deal with the financing of various studies, help the participants in cooperation in solving a wide range of issues - legal, financial or, for example, environmental.

Other major supranational structures of the EAEU that are planned to be created are the International investment bank, as well as arbitration of the Eurasian Economic Union.

Among the successfully created associations that are part of the management structure of the EAEU, we will study the features of its activities in more detail.

Eurasian Economic Commission

It can be noted that the EEC was established in 2011, that is, even before the agreement on the creation of the EAEU was signed. It was founded by Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus. Initially, this organization was created to manage processes at the level of such a structure as the Customs Union. The EAEU is a structure in the development of which the Commission is called upon to directly participate now.

The EEC has established a council and a collegium. The first structure should include deputy heads of governments of the member states of the association. The collegium should consist of three people from the member countries of the EAEU. The Commission provides for the creation of separate departments.

The Eurasian Economic Commission is the most important, but not the most important, supranational governing body of the EAEU. It is subordinate to the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council. Consider the key facts about him.

This structure, like the Eurasian Economic Commission, was created a few years before the states signed the agreement on the creation of the EAEU. Thus, for a long time it was considered a supranational body in the structure of the Customs Union, as well as the Common Economic Space. The Council is formed by the heads of the EAEU member states. At least once a year, it must meet at the highest level. The heads of government of the participating countries of the association must meet at least 2 times a year. A feature of the functioning of the Council is that decisions are made in the format of consensus. Approved Provisions are mandatory for implementation in the EAEU member countries.

Prospects for the EAEU

How do analysts assess the prospects for the development of the EAEU? Above, we noted that some experts believe that along with economic integration, the political rapprochement of the member states of the association is inevitable. There are experts who share this point of view. There are experts who completely disagree with her. The main argument of those analysts who see the prospects for the politicization of the EAEU is that Russia, as the leading economic player in the association, will in one way or another influence the decisions made by the authorities of the EAEU member states. Opponents of this point of view believe that, on the contrary, it is not in the interests of the Russian Federation to show excessive interest in the politicization of the corresponding international association.

Provided that a balance is maintained between the economic and political components in the EAEU, the prospects for the union, based on a number of objective indicators, are assessed by many analysts as very positive. Thus, the total GDP of the member states of the structure under consideration will be comparable with the indicators of the world's leading economies. Taking into account the scientific and resource potential of the EAEU, the volume of economic systems of the member countries of the union can grow significantly in the future.

Worldwide collaboration

According to a number of analysts, the prospects for cooperation with the EAEU are attractive for countries that seem to be far from the economic space formed by the countries that signed the EAEU treaty - Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus and Armenia. For example, Vietnam recently signed a free trade agreement with the EAEU.

Syria and Egypt show interest in cooperation. This gives analysts a reason to say that the Eurasian Economic Union can become the most powerful player in the world market.

06.11.2018

Customs Union (CU)- an interstate agreement within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). The TC proposes to abolish customs duties and similar payments in mutual trade between the member countries of the union. In addition, the Customs Union is unifying methods for assessing quality and certification, creating a single database on certain aspects of economic activity.

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

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

Members of the Customs Union at present (2016) are members of the EAEU:

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

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

The governing and coordination bodies in the EAEU are:

The Supreme Eurasian Economic Council is a supranational body consisting of the heads of states 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 the plan to strengthen economic ties between some states on the territory of the 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 activities of the Union was 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 CU has a mechanism for the coordinated collection and distribution of indirect taxes.

Thus, in its current state, the Customs Union is a way of economic integration of the states that are members of the EAEU.

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

The history of the creation of the vehicle

For a better understanding of the prerequisites and goals for the creation of the Customs Union, it would 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 establishment of the Customs Union. Subsequently, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan join the agreement;
2007 - Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia conclude an agreement on a single customs territory and the construction of the Customs Union;
2009 - previously concluded agreements are filled with concrete content, about 40 international treaties are signed. A decision is made to form from January 1, 2010 a single customs area on the territory of Belarus, Russia and Kazakhstan;
2010 - the Common Customs Tariff comes into force, the Common Customs Code for the 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 for the countries of the Union continues, the first unified technical regulation on product safety;
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 of the Presidents of the EAEU countries "On the Digital Agenda of the Eurasian Economic Union".
2017 - "White Paper" of barriers, exemptions and restrictions. Signing and ratification of the Treaty on the Customs Code of the EAEU.
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 to 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 the integration processes, with different speed and results, constantly went the entire described period. 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 to increase the 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:

Cancellation of internal customs payments, which should contribute to the price attractiveness of products manufactured in the Union;
Acceleration of the turnover of goods in connection with the abolition of customs control and clearance when they are moved within the CU;
Adoption of general sanitary-epidemiological and veterinary requirements, common 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 conformity within the framework of the Customs Union with the issuance of single documents." For 2016, more than three dozen regulations on the requirements for the safety and quality of goods, works and services have been agreed. Certificates issued by any state are valid in all others.

The next goal of the Customs Union should be called the joint protection of the domestic market of the Customs Union, the creation of favorable conditions for the production and sale, first of all, of the domestic products of the member countries of the Union. At this point, the program of mutual understanding between the 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 bad effect on importing enterprises and the population.

Contradictions in the TC

The Customs Union united states with a common past, including economic, but different present, primarily economic. Each of the former Soviet republics had its own specialization even during the Soviet period, and during the years of independence there were many other changes related to attempts to find their 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 the Soviet times, the economic structure of both countries has been built in such a way that it needs Russian market sales. The situation in Kazakhstan and Armenia is somewhat different, but for them, too, ties with Russia are extremely important, largely for geopolitical reasons.

At the same time, the Russian economy, until the end of 2014, successfully grew due to high, gas and other raw materials. What gave the Russian Federation financial opportunities to finance integration processes. This course of action may not have promised immediate economic benefits, but it did suggest Russia's growing influence on the world stage. Thus, the real locomotive of the processes of Eurasian unification in general and the Customs Union in particular has always been the Russian Federation.

The history of the integration processes of the last decades looks like a series of compromises between the influence of Russia 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 the admission of enterprises of the Republic to Russian public procurement. For the sake of this, Belarus agreed to increase tariffs for 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 hard on retail trade. 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 uses the relevant opportunities in international trade), but Belarus is not.

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

It should be noted that the Customs Union agreements have many exceptions and clarifications, anti-dumping, protective and countervailing measures that do not allow talking about a common benefit and equal conditions for all members of the organization. Practically each of the CU states at certain moments expressed its dissatisfaction with the contractual terms.

Despite the elimination of customs posts within the Union, border control between states remains. Also, checks by services continue at internal borders. sanitary control. 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 the non-recognition of the quality of products certified by the Belarusian side and leads to a ban on deliveries to Russian consumers "until the defects are eliminated."

Advantages of the Customs Union

At the moment (2016), it is impossible to talk about the achievement of the goals declared at the conclusion of the Customs Union, the internal trade turnover between the CU participants is falling. There are also no special advantages for the economy compared to the period before the conclusion of the agreements.

At the same time, there are reasons to believe that without the agreement on the Customs Union, the situation would look even more depressing. Crisis phenomena in each individual economy could have a greater scale and depth. Presence in the CU 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 make it possible to sell duty-free cars produced on 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 that time, such projects were not successful due to the small volume of the Belarusian sales market itself.

The practice of applying customs agreements

Studying the published information about the creation and functioning of the Customs Union, it is easy to see 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 decrease in the number of administrative procedures, and some improvement in competitive conditions among enterprises of the CU member countries. Probably, it takes time and mutual interest not only of state institutions, but also of economic entities within the CU to fill the agreed unified rules with economic content.

In Astana (Kazakhstan) by the presidents of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. Entered 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 is 182.7 million people (2.5% of the world population). Gross domestic product in the EAEU countries in 2014 amounted to $2.2 trillion (3.2% in the structure of world GDP). The volume of industrial production reached 1.3 trillion dollars (3.7% of world industrial production). The volume of foreign trade in goods of the EAEU with third countries in 2014 amounted to 877.6 billion dollars (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 for regional economic integration with international legal personality.

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

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 fixes the goals of Eurasian economic integration for the future, including the 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:

— creation of conditions for the stable development of the economies of the Member States in the interests of raising 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 supreme body of the EAEU is the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council (SEEC), which includes the heads of member states. The SEEC considers the 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. Extraordinary meetings of the Supreme Council may be convened on the initiative of any of the Member States or the Chairman of the Supreme Council to resolve urgent issues of the Union's activities.

Implementation and control over the execution of the EAEU Treaty, international treaties within the Union and decisions of the Supreme Council are ensured by the Intergovernmental Council (EMC), consisting of the heads of government of the Member States. Meetings of the Intergovernmental Council are held as needed, but at least twice a year.

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

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

The chairmanship of the SEEC, the EMC 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 to renew.

In 2016, Kazakhstan chairs these bodies.

The Union is open to entry by any state that shares its goals and principles, on terms agreed by the member states. There is also a procedure for secession from the Union.

Financing of the activities of the Union's bodies is carried out at the expense of the Union's budget, which is formed in Russian rubles at the expense of the share contributions of the Member States.

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

The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Novosti and open sources