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International organizations: members. Countries of the Customs Union: list

Eurasian Economic Union - international organization regional economic integration, which has international legal personality and was 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 the interests of improving the living standards of the population of the member states.

EAEU Customs Union

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 they are not used in mutual trade in goods customs duties and economic restrictions, 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 common customs territory of the Customs Union consists of the territories of the member states 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 6 July 2010
Armenia - from October 10, 2014
Kyrgyzstan - from May 8, 2015

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

Technical regulation in the EAEU Customs Union

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

The mechanisms inherent in technical regulation make it possible to eliminate numerous, in many cases artificially created technical barriers to trade, which are a serious problem for business. This is helped by the legal framework created over several recent years, including thanks to the efforts of the specialists of 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 common principles and rules of technical regulation;
Agreement on the Basis for the Harmonization of Technical Regulations;
Agreement on the Application of the Unified Product Circulation Mark on the Market of the EAEU Member States;
Creation agreement information system EAEU in the field of technical regulation, sanitary, veterinary and phytosanitary measures;
Agreement on the circulation of products subject to mandatory conformity assessment (confirmation) in the territory of the Customs Union;
Agreement on mutual recognition of accreditation of certification bodies (confirmation of conformity) and testing laboratories (centers) performing work on confirmation of conformity.

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

Eurasian Economic Commission brochure (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 single customs territory, within which goods move without the cost of crossing customs borders.

Although the CU was legally created in 2010, in fact, it began to work only from July 1, 2011, when acts on the creation of a single customs territory entered into force in the participating countries, and all control and regulatory bodies were created and began to work. At the moment, the CU members are five states - Russia, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Belarus and Kyrgyzstan. Several more countries are official candidates for joining the organization or are considering this step.

Russia

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

Kazakhstan

For Kazakhstan, participation in the Customs Union is, first of all, good because it allowed it to enter the union, which gives a total of up to 16% of world grain exports. Working in the same field, Kazakhstan and Russia were able 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 positions in the Russian Federation and other countries of the association.

Belarus

For Belarus, which has long been partially integrated with Russia into a single customs and economic field, participation in the CU 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 Customs Union brings Belarus up to $ 2 billion in additional profit annually.

Armenia and Kyrgyzstan

These countries have recently become members of the Customs Union. Their involvement made it possible to further strengthen the position of the association in the world energy market. The same countries received preferential access to markets, the aggregate volume of which significantly exceeds their economic capabilities, therefore, they are predicted to accelerate GDP growth and the general welfare of the population.

In general, 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 framework of the union. Taking into account the prospects for the accession of new members, it can be expected that in the near future the CU will become an even more powerful and influential economic bloc.

Eurasian Union

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

[edit] History of Eurasian integration

In ancient times, large state formations a number of peoples. It is in this Eurasian area, according to the most common hypotheses, that the historical ancestral homelands of the Indo-Europeans are located (the Slavs, Armenians, Ossetians, Tajiks, etc. belong to the Indo-European peoples), the Turks (Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Tatars, Uzbeks, etc.) and Finno-Ugrians ( Karelians, Mordvins, Udmurts, Mari, Komi, etc.). In the space of Eurasia, the Scythians, Sarmatians, Huns, Turks, Khazars, Mongols created their empire-states.

Since the 16th century, Russia (in the 20th century - the Soviet Union) has become the largest state in the Eurasian space. With the arrival of Russia in Eurasia, it became possible to unite this 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 long-term socio-economic crisis, from which some post-Soviet states have not yet emerged. It is quite typical that the collapse Soviet Union Kazakhstan and some other Asian republics of the USSR opposed to the greatest extent.

The initiator of the Eurasian reintegration can rightfully be considered the President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev, who presented in March 1994 the project of the Eurasian Union, which at the first stage was to include Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, 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. Nevertheless, 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 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 an Agreement on the establishment of the Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC). The Treaty contains the concept of close and effective trade and economic cooperation to achieve the goals and objectives defined by the Treaty on the Customs Union and the Common Economic Space. EurAsEC became the first effective organization to ensure the integration process in the Eurasian space.

May 30, 2001- entered into force an agreement on the establishment 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- the EurAsEC summit was held in Dushanbe (Tajikistan), at which the concept of the Customs Union of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus was adopted. Created by Customs Union Commission- a single permanent regulatory body of the EurAsEC Customs Union (in 2012, powers were transferred to the Eurasian Commission).

July 6, 2010- entered into force of the agreement on Customs Union (CU) as part of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus, earned Unified customs code.

December 9, 2010- Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus signed all 17 documents to create Common Economic Space (CES)(agreements on common rules of competition, 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 countering 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: customs control has been canceled at the borders of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus (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, an CIS free trade zone... The CIS FTA provides for "minimizing the exclusions from the range of goods subject to import duties", export duties must 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 agreement, Single economic space (CES) as a common market of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan (since 2014 - the 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- the agreement on 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 FTZ, and although Tajikistan signed the treaty, it 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 has joined the agreement 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 agreements on accession) to the Eurasian Economic Union. The accession of Armenia to the EAEU was approved.

January 1, 2015- the agreement on the EAEU entered 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 a free trade zone with the EAEU

May 25, 2015 - An agreement on a free trade zone was signed between the EAEU and Vietnam.

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

August 12, 2015- The Eurasian Union 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, and integration is increasing in comparison with the 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, 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)

Moldavia- has the status of an observer state with the Eurasian Economic Union (since April 14, 2017)

Other potential participants

Tajikistan- in 2012 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. Key points of the CES agreements have been in effect 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 the member states. Also, the goal is to ensure the beginning of the 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). Also, interest in joining the CES is expressed by Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Abkhazia.

[edit] Customs Union

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

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

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

[edit] Composition of the vehicle

At the moment, the following states are included in the Customs Union:

[edit] CU candidates

Tajikistan- in 2012 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 out.
Mongolia- announced its intention to join the CU and the EAEU in 2016.
Moldavia- On April 14, 2017, it received the status of an observer state at the Eurasian Economic Union. Since, as of 2017, in Moldova, the president is in favor of Eurasian integration, and the parliament is against, the further fate of integration with Moldova depends on the development of the internal situation in this country.
- Gagauzia- in a referendum held in 2014, she spoke in favor of 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 in 2010. Currently, the signing of an agreement on a free trade zone between Syria and the CU 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- On February 16, 2010, she informally announced her desire to join the Customs Union.

South Ossetia- On 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- On February 16, 2012 announced its intention to join the Customs Union.

Former potential candidates

Ukraine- according to its long-standing tradition, the Ukrainian leadership tried to sit on two chairs at the same time, 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 was unacceptable. Currently, the issue of joining the Customs Union has stalled due to the civil war in Ukraine. The current Ukrainian leadership has embarked on a course towards the so-called "Euroassociation", which involves the introduction of European rules and regulations in Ukraine, as well as the opening of the internal market for European manufacturers. In fact, this is ruining and in many ways has already ruined the remnants of the high-tech industry in Ukraine (Ukrainian exporters lost 29% of exports to Russia in 2014, missing $ 3.9 billion, while exports to the EU grew by only $ 1 billion (mainly in agriculture ).

[edit] Free Trade Zone

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

The free trade zone provides for “minimizing the exclusions from the range of goods subject to import duties,” and export duties must first be fixed and then phased out.

Agreements on a bilateral free trade zone were also signed by individual EAEU countries with Serbia (between Serbia and Russia the free trade regime 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 submitted an application for the formation of an FTA with the EAEU.

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

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

[edit] FTA signatories

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 the ratification of the FTA agreement was signed on May 2, 2016 by Russian President Vladimir Putin. On May 31, the law on the ratification of the FTA agreement was signed by the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, on June 2 - by the 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 began in 2015.
Mongolia- will begin the stage of negotiations on a free trade zone and possible accession from autumn 2016.
Serbia- negotiates the creation of an FTA with the EAEU

[edit] Expressed interest in collaboration

[edit] What does joining the EAEU give

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

The procedures will be weakened or removed customs control.
Coordination of economic, transport, energy and migration policies will be carried out.
Legislation on 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 not at all thrilled with 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 that the United States has so far achieved in hindering Eurasian integration is the organization of a coup d'etat in Ukraine in February 2014, as a result of which the country actually disintegrated during the Ukrainian crisis. At the same time, the part of Ukraine that remained under the control of American puppets was imposed a suicidal course of breaking economic ties with the Russian Federation and "Euroassociation" with the EU. The collapse of the Ukrainian industry and a serious energy crisis were clearly manifested already in 2014.

Despite such unambiguous 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 approximately Soviet size.

In the meantime, Putin does not miss an opportunity to pin the Europeans suffering from separatist sentiments now, hinting at inviting certain European countries to the Customs Union. Nazarbayev admits Turkey's involvement in Eurasian integration.

Countries of the Customs Union: list

In the modern world, many countries are united in alliances - political, economic, religious and others. One of the largest such unions was the Soviet. Now we see the emergence of the European, Eurasian, and also the 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 issues 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:

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

Active countries and candidates

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

Membership candidates:

TS managers

There was a special CU commission, which was approved at the time of signing the agreement on the Customs Union. Its rules were the basis 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 Grigorievich Lukashenko (Republic of Belarus)).

At the level of heads of government, the 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 would include several states, and all duties on products would be canceled on their territory.

The second goal was to protect their own interests and markets, primarily from harmful, substandard, 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 views of the members of the union, is a priority for any country.

Benefits and prospects

First of all, the benefits are obvious for those enterprises that can easily make purchases in neighboring countries. Most likely, these will only be large corporations and companies. As for the prospects for the future, contrary to some forecasts of economists that the Customs Union will entail a decrease in the level of wages in the participating countries, at the official level, the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan announced the increase of 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 entered the Customs Union are expecting, if not fast, but stable growth of economic ties.

Contract

The final version of the Agreement on the Customs Code of the CU was adopted only at the tenth meeting, 26.10.2009. In this pact, it was said about the creation of special groups that will monitor the activities for the implementation of the revised draft treaty.

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

All the nuances associated with the territories of the vehicle were also 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 entered into an agreement and are members of the organization. The Customs Code, among other things, also determines the expiry date of the commission, which began on July 1, 2012. Thus, a more serious organization was created, which has much more authority and, accordingly, more people in its state, in order 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 pursued, 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 the share contributions made by all member countries of the Customs Union. Their size is regulated by the Supreme Council, which consists of the heads of these states.

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

Bodies of the Union

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

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

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

Main provisions of the Treaty on the EAEU

Of course, the EAEU, in comparison with the CU, has not only broader powers, but also a much more extensive and specific list of planned works. This document no longer has any general plans, and for each specific task a way of its implementation has been determined and a special working group has been created, which will not only monitor the implementation, but also control its entire progress.

In the resulting agreement, the countries of the unified Customs Union, 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.

Much attention is paid to the transport policy on the territory of the EAEU states, without which it will not be possible to create a single joint action plan. The development of an agreed 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 conceived plans and agreements. In such conditions, the general principles interaction and effective development of countries is ensured.

The general labor market, which regulates not only the free movement of labor, but also the same working conditions. Citizens who go to work in EAEU countries, now it will not be necessary to fill out migration cards (if the period of 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 Western similar 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 at the same time neither Russia itself 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 for the sake of Russia. By the way, the tenge 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 the right decision, capable of helping to somehow strengthen relations between states in the event of further Western pressure 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 kinds 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 agreement.

List of countries participating in the Customs Union in 2017

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

This achieves abolition of customs control at the borders within the Union, are general provisions regulation of economic activities for the external borders of the vehicle. In view of this, a common customs area is created using a generally accepted approach to the implementation of border controls. One more distinctive feature is the equality of citizens of the customs area during employment.

Members

In 2017, the Customs Union consists of the following 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, to date, no specific procedures have been adopted for the entry of these states into the ranks of the Union.

It can be clearly seen that the functioning of the Customs Union serves as a good help for strengthening the economic relations of the 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 mechanism of share distribution.

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

Formation stages

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

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

Moving step-by-step towards this goal, in 1995, two states (Russia and Belarus) entered into an agreement on the approval 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 to approve the Customs Union.

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

On July 1, 2010, another important agreement was signed, which put into operation the work of the Unified Customs Tariff and the Customs Code.

On July 1, 2011, the current customs control at the borders between countries was canceled and common rules were established at the borders with states that are not in an agreement. Until 2013, uniform legislation for the parties to the agreement is 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

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

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

Interstate Council- the supreme body of a supranational character, consists of the heads of state and the heads of government of the Customs Union.
Customs Union Commission- the department that deals with the issues of the formation of customs rules and regulates foreign trade policy.

Destinations and conditions

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

The increase in sales was originally supposed 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 the products produced within the framework of a single space more attractive, due to the abolition of duties.
Increasing turnover through the abolition of customs control on internal borders.
Adoption of uniform requirements and integration of security standards.

Achieving goals and prospects

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

But, nevertheless, analyzing the stated goals when creating the CU, as well as observing their implementation, one cannot remain silent that a simplification of trade has been achieved, and 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, but this, in addition to time, requires the mutual interest of both the states themselves and the economic elements within the Union.

Activity analysis

The Customs Union consists of countries that have the same economic past, but today these states are very different from each other. Of course, in Soviet time the republics differed in their specialization, however, after gaining independence, there were many more changes affecting the world market and the division of labor.

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

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

Although this policy did not predict rapid economic growth, it nevertheless assumed the strengthening of Russia's position in the world arena.

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

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

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

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

Though customs posts at the borders between the parties to the agreement were eliminated, preserved border zones between countries... Also continued sanitary control at internal borders. Revealed the lack of trusting relationships in the practice of interaction. 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 Customs Union have been achieved. This is evident from the decrease in the turnover of goods within the customs area. There are also no benefits for economic development when compared to the time before the agreements were signed.

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

The contracts signed by the parties have benefited the car production. Duty-free sale of cars assembled by manufacturers of the participating countries has become available. In this way, conditions have been created for the implementation of projects that previously could not be successful.

What is the Customs Union? See the video for details.

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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 entered 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 a 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 economic entities.

This laid the foundation stone for the integration of the former Soviet republics, based on deeper principles than those on which the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), created at the time of the collapse of the Soviet Union, was based.

Other states of the region have also shown interest in the Customs Union, in particular, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have entered it. The process smoothly moved to a new stage - in 1999, the member countries of the Customs Union signed an agreement on the Common Economic Space, and in the next 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 the legal basis for cooperation was born in the disputes - 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 work in a new way. A unified customs tariff was adopted, customs clearance and customs control at internal borders were canceled, the movement of goods in the territory of the three states became unimpeded.

The next year, 2011, the countries moved to the creation of a single economic space. In December, a corresponding agreement was signed between Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, which entered 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.

The goals of the Union

According to the agreement, the main goals of creating the EAEU are stated:

creating conditions for the stable development of the economies of the 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.

Governing bodies

The main body of the EAEU is the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council, which consists of the heads of member states of the organization. The tasks of the Council include solving strategically important issues of the Union's functioning, defining areas of activity, prospects for the development of integration, 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 at the initiative of any member state of the organization or the current chairman of the Council.

Another governing body of the EAEU is the Intergovernmental Council, which includes the 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:

Crediting and distribution of import customs duties;
establishment of trade regimes with respect 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, a total of about 170 functions of the EAEU.

There is also a permanent Union Court, 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 decisions of its governing bodies. Both the member states of the Union and individual entrepreneurs working on their territory can apply to the court.

EAEU membership

The Union is open for any state to join it, and not only the Eurasian region. The main thing is to share its goals and principles, as well as to comply with the conditions agreed 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 an appropriate appeal to the chairman of the Supreme Council. Under his leadership, the council will decide whether or not to grant the applicant the status of a candidate state. If the decision turns out to be positive, then a working group will be created, it consists of representatives of the candidate state, current members of the Union, its governing bodies.

The working group determines the degree of readiness of the candidate state to assume obligations arising from the fundamental documents of the Union, then the working group develops a plan of measures 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 Union's bodies ...

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

Tajikistan;
Moldova;
Uzbekistan;
Mongolia;
Turkey;
Tunisia;
Iran;
Syria;
Turkmenistan.

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

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

On May 14, 2018, Moldova received the 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.

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

The history of the creation of the Eurasian Economic Union

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tasks

Completion of registration in full volume of the free trade regime, formation of a common customs tariff and unified system non-tariff regulation measures

Ensuring freedom of capital movement

Formation of a common financial market

Coordination of principles and conditions for the transition to a single currency within the EurAsEC

Establishment general rules trade in goods and services and their access to domestic markets

Creation of a common unified system of customs regulation

Development and implementation of interstate target programs

Creation of equal conditions for production and business activities

Formation of a common market transport services and a unified transport system

Formation of a common energy market

Creation of equal conditions for access of foreign investments to the markets of the Parties

Ensuring free movement of citizens of the EurAsEC states within the Community

Coordination of social policy in order to form a community of social states, providing for a common labor market, a single educational space, coordinated approaches to addressing issues of health care, labor migration, etc.

Approximation and Harmonization of National Legislation

Ensuring interaction of the legal systems of the EurAsEC states in order to create a common legal space within the Community

Interaction with the UN

For many centuries, the customs unions of several states have been one of the main factors in the rapprochement of the participating countries in matters of economy, trade, finance, and later, possibly, political course. Already at the beginning of the 19th century, from the majority of German states that agreed to abolish all customs barriers among themselves, and from the duties levied on the borders of the territory of the union, to form a common treasury, the German Customs Union was created. The European Union, one of the main economic and political associations of the modern world, also began as a Coal and Steel Association, which later became the Customs Union, and then into the single market zone. Of course, the processes of these transitions did not take place without problems and contradictions, but common economic goals and political will tipped the scales in their favor.

Based on the foregoing, the desire of the former republics of the USSR, which have entered the democratic path of development, to create a similar institution at the turn of the century is quite logical and justified. Four years after the collapse of the Union, the heads of three now independent states - Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus - signed a package of documents on the creation of the Customs Union, the purpose of which was the free movement of goods, services and capital within the borders of these countries, as well as the creation of a single trade course. , monetary, customs and tax policies.

Despite the fact that since 1999 practical measures have been taken to create a single customs territory, flat rates customs duties and a unified tariff and trade policy, the Unified Customs Code began to be applied only in 2010 and, accordingly, from that moment the de facto existence of the Customs Union began. The very next year, customs control at the borders of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan was abolished and moved to the outer contour of the borders of the Customs Union. Kyrgyzstan is in the process of joining the union, and the governments of Tajikistan and Armenia are also thinking about joining. Since 2012, on the basis of the CU of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, a Common Economic Space has been created, the purpose of which is to more fully and efficiently provide goods, services, capital and labor across the borders of the CES member countries.

The relevance of the topic is due, first of all, to the fact that the CU of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan became the first truly operating integration association of states on the territory of the former USSR. Such a union was simply necessary in view of the fact that in our time the politicians of the states of the post-Soviet space are increasingly forced to implement joint economic management in conditions of controlled integration. The reason for this is the various economic shocks in various CIS countries and the weakly tangible results of overcoming these shocks.

The purpose of this term paper is the consideration of the Customs Union as a type of international economic organization. To achieve it, the following tasks have been set:

assessment of world experience in the creation of economic unions;
consideration of the prerequisites for the creation and stages of formation of the Customs Union;
detecting economic problems of the Customs Union and proposing ways to solve them.

1.1 Essence and stages of economic integration

In order to understand the goals and motives of the creation of the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, one must first understand the very essence of economic integration. This is a fairly high, effective and promising stage in the development of the world economy, a qualitatively new and more complex stage in the internationalization of economic ties. Economic integration leads not only to the convergence of national economies, but also provides a joint solution to economic problems. Consequently, economic integration can be represented as a process of economic interaction between countries, leading to the convergence of economic mechanisms, taking the form of interstate agreements and coordinatedly regulated by interstate bodies.

It should be noted that most of the integration unions have appeared relatively recently, over the past 50 years. Among them are the European Union (EU), the NAFTA North American Free Trade Area, the Common Economic Space of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, and many others. All of them differ from each other both in the level of interaction between enterprises of the member states, and in the degree of merging of national economies. Hungarian economist Bela Balassa identified five forms of economic integration, going from lowest to highest - free trade zone, customs union, single market, economic union and political union. However, there is currently no agreement on the number of these forms of unanimity. Some scientists distinguish four or five stages, others six. Some believe that the transition from a monetary union to an economic union should also be celebrated, and some the other way around.

If we talk about the principles of activity of integration groups, then they are: trade facilitation; expansion of international and interregional cooperation, both in production and in financial and scientific and technical spheres; development of international transport infrastructure. As a result, at the moment we have a huge volume international movement goods and services, gigantic flows of labor migration, transfer of knowledge and ideas, cross-border exchange of capital. All this is impossible to imagine in a situation where each state conducts its economic activities independently. On the other hand, the scale and speed of all these processes provoke heated discussions in scientific circles, which received special resonance after the ratification of NAFTA in 1993. Among these debates are questions about whether regional economic organizations are dangerous or useful for liberalizing world trade, the benefits of trade, and the effectiveness of the global economic integration model.

Continuing the topic of the expediency of economic integration, one should recall the article by R. Lipsi and K. Lancaster "General Theory of the Second Best". Based on this work, despite the fact that only free trade leads to an efficient allocation of resources, as long as there are trade barriers with third countries, one cannot judge the economic effects for the countries participating in the integration group. It is concluded that a small reduction in tariffs is more likely to have a positive effect on the welfare of countries than a complete cancellation of tariffs, typical, for example, of customs unions. However, this conclusion cannot be called unequivocally correct, since, all other things being equal, the more local products are consumed inside the country and the less imported products are, the more likely it is to improve its welfare as a result of the formation of a customs union. This improvement will be explained by the fact that the replacement of goods produced in the country with goods of the member countries of the customs union will lead to the effect of creating trade, since the production will use the comparative advantages of national producers. Thus, the customs union will stimulate trade between the member countries, thereby increasing their welfare.

Thus, it can be concluded that the creation of a customs union does not provide any guarantees of growth in the welfare of the member states, however, the introduction of uniform customs tariffs or a single currency can have positive effects, both in production and consumption.

Let us now consider examples of various economic integrations on the world stage and specifically on the territory of the former USSR.

As stated above, the first form of economic integration is a free trade area (FTZ). Its main principle is the elimination of tariff and quantitative restrictions on trade between states. An FTA agreement is usually based on the principle of a mutual moratorium on increasing duties, following which partners do not have the right to unilaterally raise customs duties or erect new trade barriers. At the same time, each state has the right to determine its trade policy in relation to countries that are not members of the FTZ independently. An example of an FTA at the global level is the North American Free Trade Area (NAFTA), of which the United States of America, Mexico and Canada are members. Among the points of the agreement on the creation of this FTA, which entered into force in 1994, is the elimination of customs tariffs and non-tariff barriers for industrial and agricultural goods, the development of general rules for investment, the protection of intellectual property rights and the resolution of trade disputes between the participating countries. On the territory of Europe, the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), in which Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Liechtenstein are currently participating, can be considered as an FTA. Speaking about FTAs in the post-Soviet space, first of all it is worth mentioning the CIS Free Trade Zone, which includes Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine. In addition, after the collapse of the USSR, there also existed the Baltic Free Trade Zone (established in 1993 between Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia) and the Central European Free Trade Association (established in 1992, the participants are Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and the Czech Republic ), however, with the entry of the member states into the European Union, the agreements on these FTAs became invalid.

The next stage of economic integration, which is the most interesting for us in the context of this work, is the customs union (CU), which can be defined as an agreement between two or more states on the abolition of customs duties in trade between them. Based on the XIV General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), the CU replaces several customs territories with one with the complete abolition of customs duties within the CU and the creation of a single external customs tariff. Note that customs unions are popular in developing countries, so all Latin American countries are members of the CU, as well as the countries of Central and South Africa. The largest in terms of area of the vehicle is the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, which will be described in more detail in the following paragraphs of this work. Also noteworthy is the South American common market MERCOSUR (a CU agreement between Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay and Venezuela) and Benelux (a union of Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg).

A higher level of integration is the single market. In the post-Soviet space, it exists in the form of the Common Economic Space, created by the members of the CU of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. In the west, the main representative is the European Union (EU).

The Customs Union abolishes customs duties for member countries and develops a common customs policy for goods from third countries, thereby creating the preconditions for the transition to a single market. However, for this transition, it is necessary to implement some tasks that are not possible within the framework of the customs union. First of all, this is the development of a general policy for the development of individual sectors of the economy, in which it is necessary to take into account the degree of its importance for integration, as well as its impact on society and on changes in the needs and requirements of consumers. For example, when creating a single market in the EU, transport and Agriculture... In addition, it is necessary to create conditions for the smooth movement of services, capital and labor between the participating States.

A controversial step in the classification of integration development is the currency union. In addition to the already implemented agreements on a single market and a single currency policy, a gradual transition to a common currency is added, respectively, a single central bank or a system of central banks, which conduct monetary and emission policies agreed between the participating countries. The advantages of a monetary union are obvious - a reduction in the costs of settlement services for operations, greater transparency of prices, increased competition, and an improvement in the business climate. However, it is worth considering different economic situation member countries of a monetary union, the differences in which can serve as a significant problem for its normal functioning. This is currently faced by the main monetary union - the Eurozone, which includes 18 EU countries and special EU territories. At the moment, there are no monetary unions in the post-Soviet space. Not so long ago, there were rumors about the imminent introduction of a single currency called "altyn" on the territory of the Common Economic Space, however, the chairman of the Eurasian Economic Commission, Viktor Khristenko, denied these rumors.

The highest form economic integration is an economic union, where a single market and a monetary union operate with the application of a common economic policy. The economic union is characterized by the emergence of supranational economic bodies, whose economic decisions become binding on the member states of this union. Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan plan to create the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) by 2015, which will become the first economic union in the post-Soviet space.

2. Prospects for the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan

2.1 Prerequisites and stages of the creation of the Customs Union

Despite the fact that the first treaty on the conclusion of the Customs Union was signed by the former Soviet republics in 1995, in order to trace the prerequisites for its creation, it is necessary to go back a little further in the past. Two years earlier, the Russian Federation, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Moldova, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan signed an agreement on the establishment of the Economic Union. In this agreement, we are interested in Art. 4, which indicates that the Economic Union is being created through a gradual deepening of integration, coordination of actions in the implementation of economic reforms. It is here that the Customs Union first appears as one of the forms of this integration.

The next step was the Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the Republic of Belarus "On a unified procedure for regulating foreign economic activity"Dated April 12, 1994. This is the first example of the unification of customs legislation, which stipulated that the Republic of Belarus would introduce on its territory customs tariffs, taxes and duties in relation to the import and export of goods, completely identical to those on the territory of the Russian Federation. Thanks to this agreement, goods originating from the territory of Russia and Belarus could be moved from the customs territory of one of these states to the customs territory of another without any restrictions and the collection of customs duties and taxes. It became a key step for the subsequent creation of the Customs Union.

Only a year later, on January 6, 1995, between The Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus signed the Agreement on the Customs Union between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus. Less than a month later, on January 20, 1995, the Republic of Kazakhstan decided to join this agreement, and the agreement was signed simultaneously with Russia and Belarus, which acted as one party. In 1996, Kyrgyzstan joined these Agreements. It was in this agreement that the main goals of the creation of the Customs Union were outlined:

ensuring by joint actions the socio-economic progress of their countries by eliminating dividing obstacles between them for free economic interaction between economic entities;
guaranteeing sustainable economic development, free trade and fair competition;
strengthening the coordination of the economic policies of their countries and ensuring the all-round development of the national economy;
creating conditions for the formation of a common economic space;
creating conditions for active entry of the member states of the Customs Union into the world market.

In 1997 g. Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia signed an Agreement on uniform measures of non-tariff regulation during the formation of the Customs Union.

In 1999 g. to this economic association joins Tajikistan and also joins the 1995 Customs Union Agreement.

1999 was one of the next main stages of the entry into force of the Customs Union - it was then that the parties to the Agreement on the Customs Union of 1995 concluded the Treaty on the Customs Union and the Common Economic Space. An entire chapter of three sections in it was devoted to the conditions for completing the formation of the Customs Union. Among them are the presence of a single customs territory and a customs tariff; a regime that does not allow any tariff or non-tariff restrictions in mutual trade; similar mechanisms for regulating the economy and trade, based on universal market principles of management and harmonized economic legislation; implementation of a unified customs policy and application of unified customs regimes; simplification and subsequent abolition of customs control at internal customs borders. Also, the agreement introduced the concept of a single customs territory and defined the executive body of the Customs Union, acting at the stage of its formation - the Integration Committee, located in Kazakhstan in the city of Almaty.
The next advance in the creation of the Customs Union occurred with the establishment in 2000 of the Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC). In Art. 2 of the agreement on its establishment clearly stipulates that the EurAsEC is created to effectively advance the process of forming the Customs Union by the contracting parties.

October 6, 2007 was signed whole line treaties that are fundamental to the creation of the Customs Union. First, amendments were made to the Treaty on the Establishment of the EurAsEC, in accordance with which the supreme body of the Customs Union, the Interstate Council, was formed. It is both the supreme body of the EurAsEC and the supreme body of the Customs Union, but decisions on the issues of the Customs Union are made by the members of the Interstate Council from the member states of the Customs Union. Also, the Protocol of October 6, 2007 amending the Treaty on the Establishment of the Eurasian Economic Community of October 10, 2000 expanded the competence of the EurAsEC Court, which received the right to consider cases on the compliance of acts of the Customs Union bodies with international treaties forming legal framework Customs Union. Secondly, the Treaty on the Establishment of a Single Customs Territory and the Formation of the Customs Union consolidated the very concept of the “Customs Union”, as well as the list of measures required to complete the formation of the Customs Union. Thirdly, the Treaty on the Commission of the Customs Union established a new body - the Commission of the Customs Union - a single permanent regulatory body of the Customs Union, one of the principles of which is the voluntary phased transfer of part of the powers of state bodies to the Commission.

In 2009, at the level of heads of state and government, about 40 international treaties were adopted and ratified, which formed the basis of the Customs Union, and on July 1, 2010, the Unified Customs Code began to be applied on the territory of the three states.

Based on all of the above documents, two main conclusions can be drawn: despite the beginning of the actual work of the Customs Union in 2010, the possibility of its creation was legally secured back in 1993, and the participating countries have been making decisions on its creation as a single block since 1995. In fairness, it is worth noting that the broad masses started talking about the Customs Union of the three states only when high turnovers were achieved in its creation, that is, around 2009, although the idea of the Customs Union of Russia and Belarus was widely known.

As for the reasons for the creation of the Customs Union, one of them was definitely the geopolitical situation. After the collapse of the USSR and the so-called "parade of sovereignties", Russia found itself surrounded by integration associations such as NATO and the European Union. In addition, some neighboring countries, like Georgia and Ukraine, also followed a pro-Western political vector. It became more and more difficult to confront them alone. Apparently, the leadership of our country realized that in such conditions further development is possible only with real allies, and the customs union is one of the best means of economic integration of states.

The second reason is economic. As you know, relatively recently, in 2012, Russia became the 156th member of the World Trade Organization (WTO). However, negotiations on Russia's accession to this organization have been conducted since 1993, while the chairmen of the WTO did not give a firm refusal. In order not to waste time in vain, the country's leadership decided to create a trading bloc, alternative to the WTO. Considering that at that time Belarus and Kazakhstan had zero chances of joining the WTO, the creation of such a bloc was a success. In addition, there was a pragmatic interest of three states: Russia received new sales markets, Kazakhstan - the reorientation of Chinese trade flows with their subsequent direction to Russia, Belarus - duty-free receipt of energy resources (which, by the way, at some point in time became a stumbling block in negotiations between the three countries and even questioned the membership of Belarus in the Customs Union).

Perhaps there was also the idea that the trade advantages of the Customs Union would allow us to be self-sufficient in the production and trade of our goods, without experiencing problems from the lack of membership in the WTO of all three states. In the case of joining the WTO, it was assumed that it would be easier to do this as part of the troika; subsequently, Russia has repeatedly voiced this fact as an argument to accelerate this process. However, as practice has shown, the economic situation in Kazakhstan and Belarus does not yet allow these states to become part of the WTO following Russia. And if in 2013 at that time general manager WTO Pascal Lamy said that Kazakhstan is at a fairly advanced stage of negotiations on accession to the WTO, then on the issue of Belarus, negotiations are very slow and may not be completed soon enough.

2.2 Problems of the functioning of the Customs Union

The main factor in the creation of any trade union is the trade turnover between the member states. As mentioned earlier, after the formation of regional trade unions, the process of reorientation of local consumers to intra-integration sources begins. The closer trade ties between these sources, the more successful the union will be in terms of achieving integration goals.

Note a small regularity - the more weight a trade union has in world exports, the higher the share of mutual trade between its members in the total volume foreign trade union. In this respect, the trade of the countries participating in the Customs Union with each other is very much inferior to trade with third countries. Let's take for comparison the most successful example economic integration of the new era - the European Union, the need to apply the experience of which in the process of Eurasian integration was repeatedly referred to by V.V. Putin and D.A. Medvedev. When the markets of the EU member states were united, this union was directed primarily inward. As a result, more than 60% of the foreign trade of the EU countries is directed to trade within the European Union. It is this factor that distinguishes the development processes of Eurasian and European integration. Below is the export data for some economic unions:

Table 2.2.1. Export of economic unions in 2013,%

Integration association	Share in world exports of goods (including intra-union exports)	Share of exports within the Union (in the total volume of external exports)	Share of exports to third countries (in the total volume of external exports)
European Union	30,65	63,86	37,15
ASEAN	6,87	25,85	74,17
NAPHTHA	12,95	48,54	51,47
UNASUR	3,61	19,31	80,72
CU of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan	3,22	10,7	89,9
ECOWAS	0,87	7,16	92,88

Take the Economic Community of West African Countries (ECOWAS) as a reverse example. In this regional union, the volume of trade between the member countries is extremely low and amounts to only 7.15%. Thus, we see that in the absence of strong intra-union trade ties, obstacles appear on the way to the development of economic integration.

In order to identify the next problem of the Customs Union, let us consider the largest trading partners of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan in 2013.

Table 2.2.2. Main foreign trade partners of the CU and CES member countries, 2013

Place	Foreign trade partner	Share in external turnover,%
	Partners of Belarus
1	Russia	47,81
2	Netherlands	8,7
3	Ukraine	8,59
12	Kazakhstan	1,3
	Partners of Kazakhstan
1	China	19,74
2	Russia	15,8
3	Italy	12,03
23	Belarus	0,7
	Russian partners
1	Netherlands	11,3
2	China	11,17
3	Germany	8,95
5	Belarus	4,81
12	Kazakhstan	2,75

According to the above table, it can be seen that the main trade partners of Belarus are Russia, the Netherlands and Ukraine. Kazakhstan is not even included in the top ten and is only in 12th place.

With regard to Kazakhstan, one can see that its main trade partners are China, Russia and Italy. In this case, Belarus is even further, in 23rd place.

As for Russia, its largest foreign trade partners are the Netherlands, China and Germany. None of the countries participating in the Customs Union was included in the top three, Belarus is in fifth place, Kazakhstan is in 12th.

As you can see, there is a very unpleasant fact for the regional association - the bilateral trading countries of the CU member states with some external trading partners are much more intense than with each other, which reduces the effectiveness of this union.

To further identify the problems of the Customs Union, we use the Trade Dependence Index (TSI) - an indicator representing the ratio foreign trade turnover country to its GDP. The dynamics of this parameter will help to make a conclusion about how much the Customs Union has increased and increased the mutual trade of the member countries.

Table 2.2.3. Trade dependence index for Russia, 2003-2013

Year	IZT of Belarus,%	IZT of Kazakhstan,%
2003	3	1,37
2004	2,73	1,45
2005	2,15	1,32
2006	1,87	1,4
2007	1,94	1,28
2008	2,17	1,25
2009	1,77	1,07
2010	1,65	0,94
2011	2,11	0,98
2012	1,77	1,13
2013	1,97	1,27

Based on this table, we can conclude that since 2010 (the entry into force of the Common Customs Code), the indices of Russia in relation to Belarus and Kazakhstan have a tendency to increase, but very weakly. Consequently, for Russia, the Customs Union did not become a turning point, radically affecting the extent of its trade with Belarus and Kazakhstan.

As for the IAT of Belarus, it can be seen from the table below that in relation to Russia, the volume of trade since 2010 has a tendency to increase. However, as far as Kazakhstan is concerned, it can be seen that during 2010 the index fell somewhat, and then the opposite trend was outlined. Based on the data, we can say that for Belarus, the Customs Union makes it possible to strengthen trade ties with Russia, but not with Kazakhstan.

Table 2.2.4. Trade Dependence Index for Belarus, 2003-2013

Year	IZT of Russia,%	IZT of Kazakhstan,%
2003	70,24	0,4
2004	77,35	0,62
2005	52,3	0,76
2006	54,48	0,91
2007	58,15	1,17
2008	56,63	0,93
2009	48,31	0,78
2010	51,2	1,57
2011	72,15	1,48
2012	76,27	1,6
2013	78,21	1,75

Regarding Kazakhstan, it can be noted that since the creation of the Customs Union, the importance of trade with Russia and Belarus for it, though increased, but insignificantly. Data for Kazakhstan are shown in the table below:

Table 2.2.5. Trade Dependence Index for Kazakhstan, 2003-2013

Year	IZT of Russia,%	IZT of Belarus,%
2003	6,34	0,04
2004	6,57	0,04
2005	5,21	0,05
2006	4,68	0,09
2007	4,56	0,12
2008	4,71	0,13
2009	3	0,05
2010	2	0,03
2011	4,07	0,05
2012	3,24	0,04
2013	3,15	0,03

Based on the foregoing, we can conclude that among the three countries participating in the Customs Union, only one state, Belarus, feels a significant contribution to strengthening bilateral ties, which is not the best indicator for an integration association.

So, based on the analysis of mutual trade between Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, which is the main indicator of the degree of integration of a group of countries, we can say that the level of trade between the countries participating in the Customs Union remains low. Consequently, the Customs Union at the moment cannot be considered fully effective tool foreign economic policy and an increase in foreign trade.

2.3 Main directions of development of the Customs Union

Speaking about the prospects and the main methods and directions used in the development of the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, it can be noted that, as mentioned above, the President and Prime Minister of Russia propose to act with an eye to the experience of the European Union. We will not question the competence of the superior officials of our country, but note that it is not entirely correct to compare the European Union and the Customs Union. In the case of the European Union, there were initially several leading countries with approximately the same economic position and balancing each other. In the case of the Customs Union, it is obvious that the level of economic development in Russia is much higher than that of Kazakhstan and Belarus. Therefore, it is not surprising that in the Eurasian integration association Russia has assumed the role of a leader, and the Russian economy acts as the core of the integration process. In this situation, it is much more correct to compare the Customs Union with NAFTA, in which three countries also participate, and the United States of America plays the role of the central economy. The main similarity that allows comparing these integration groups is serious differences in the socio-economic level of development of countries.

The well-known economist J. Magione, examining the processes of European integration from a critical standpoint in his monograph, notes that significant differences in the socio-economic level of the states participating in the integration process will necessarily lead to a different arrangement of political priorities. In this case, the harmonization of national legislation is inappropriate, but on the contrary, in order to improve the welfare of the member states of the integration group, the differentiation of legal norms is necessary. J. Bhagwati and R. Hudek in one of their works devoted to free trade and harmonization of national legislation, also argued that centralized unification in some cases can worsen socio-economic indicators. Consequently, some traditional methods integration, which includes the centralized harmonization of the legal system that was used in Europe, are untenable within the Customs Union.

Others important principle European integration is economic and social solidarity, which implies equalization of the level of material well-being in all member states of the European Union. In the case of the Customs Union, the main prospects for its expansion are associated with the entry of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan into it in the future. The standard of living of the population of these countries is much lower than the Russian, Belarusian or Kazakh, and as for the economic situation, the size of the economies of these countries is incomparable with the economies of Kazakhstan and Belarus, not to mention Russia. Proceeding from this, we again have the inapplicability of the development of the integration of the Customs Union following the example of the European Union.

If we talk about the accession of new states to the number of members of the Customs Union, first of all it is worth mentioning Kyrgyzstan. Negotiations between Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan with this country on joining the Customs Union have been going on since 2011, but from time to time they are marking time for quite long periods of time. The main reason for such downtime is the so-called "road map" - a list of conditions that Kyrgyzstan insists on when joining the Customs Union. The fact is that many representatives of the business community fear for some sectors of the country that could be brought to bankruptcy. Among them is the re-export of Chinese goods. It's no secret that customs rates for many Chinese goods in Kyrgyzstan, zero or close to zero, which has allowed local entrepreneurs to create huge clothing markets, which are often visited by wholesalers from neighboring countries, including Kazakhstan and Russia. Several hundred thousand people work in such markets, and their loss of work in the event of the country's joining the Customs Union also threatens social unrest. That is why the government of Kyrgyzstan is asking to give the country's largest markets the status of free trade zones, to provide temporary benefits on many commodity items, as well as to sign an agreement on the unhindered movement of labor migrants within the Customs Union, which it considers as a "safety cushion" for the country. These conditions were found unacceptable by the members of the Customs Union, especially Kazakhstan, which even led to the temporary suspension of the integration process by Kyrgyzstan in December 2013. However, in March 2014, First Deputy Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan Dzhoormat Otorbaev said that amendments had been made to the road map and that the country could join the Customs Union this year. Time will tell whether it will be so or not.

As for Tajikistan, which is also considered one of the candidates for integration with the CU countries, despite the statements of President Emomali Rahmon about the seriousness of the intentions to negotiate accession to the Customs Union back in 2010, negotiations have not yet begun. The government of the country wants to be convinced of the expediency of this step, first of all, by assessing the result of joining the Customs Union of Kyrgyzstan. The geographical factor also plays a role here - Tajikistan has no common borders with Russia, Belarus or Kazakhstan, but it borders on Kyrgyzstan. In the event that Kyrgyzstan joins the Customs Union, the next contender will be Tajikistan, which was confirmed by Russian President V.V. Putin.

The political confrontation between Russia and the United States of America in some issues also plays a role in the possible accession of countries to the Customs Union. So, in October 2013, the government of Syria expressed a desire to join the Customs Union. According to Deputy Prime Minister Qadri Jamil, all Required documents are already ready, and negotiations with Russian partners have already been completed. At the moment, negotiations are underway with the parties of Belarus and Kazakhstan. Complicating the situation, as in the case of Tajikistan, is a geographic problem - Syria has no common borders with any of the countries participating in the Customs Union.

A counterexample is the situation with Ukraine, in which the issue of integration with one of the associations - the Customs Union or the European Union - was acute. Despite the huge number of foreign trade operations with the CIS countries, in 2013 Ukraine refused to join the Customs Union, in turn, Russia considered Ukraine's offer of cooperation on the "3 + 1" type unacceptable, refusing selective privileges in trade with the union. In connection with the coup d'etat in Kiev and the coming to power of a government aimed at integration with Western countries, now the chance for the country's entry into the Customs Union can be considered almost zero. However, the situation in Ukraine is changing daily, and given the different moods of the eastern and western regions of the country, it is now very difficult to predict its decision on the further issue of integration.

In conclusion, I would like to note that when developing the Customs Union, it is extremely important to take into account all external players in the region. This confirms the thesis that Russia's accession to the WTO is a key factor in the process of Eurasian integration, since it will contribute to a more competent resolution of all issues arising in trade relations between Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. According to Russia's obligations to the WTO, the members of the union must follow the rules of the global regulator international trade... Also, the positive effect of Russia's accession to the WTO will manifest itself in increasing the compatibility of trade and economic relations in the post-Soviet space. Thus, it is completely unacceptable to consider scenarios for the development of the Customs Union without its accession to the WTO in the foreseeable future.

CONCLUSION

Only four years have passed since the entry into force of the Unified Customs Code and the transfer of the customs borders of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan to the external border of the Customs Union. The transition to the Common Economic Space was completed only two years ago. Of course, in such a short period of time, the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, even under the most favorable conditions, could not achieve a level of integration similar to that of the European Union or NAFTA. At the moment, the gradual economic integration of the post-Soviet countries is proceeding quite steadily, but time is needed for tangible results. It should also be remembered that in the issue of the Customs Union, many, especially citizens of Belarus and Kazakhstan, are worried about the possible political background, the so-called return to the times of the USSR with Russia as the dominant state. That is why it is worth again raising the issue of building the integration of the Customs Union, based on the experience of the NAFTA union, which never pursued the goals of creating supranational bodies and developing new legislation, unlike the European Union. Full compliance of NAFTA with the WTO rules in the field of capital flow regulation allows it to be used as a model for investment agreements within the Eurasian Economic Space.

Let us now draw a few conclusions. To achieve maximum effects in regional integration, the Customs Union must meet at least three conditions: maintaining a high share of intraregional trade in the total volume of foreign trade, that is, maintaining a high trade turnover between the participating countries; the creation of deep industrial and technological cooperation between the participating countries; holding sound policy taking into account the difference in the levels of socio-economic development of the participating countries.

Also, one should not forget about the significant differences between European and Eurasian integration, including:

different levels of intraregional trade (the share of trade between the member states of the European Union in the total volume of foreign trade is many times higher than that in the Customs Union);
the absence of a so-called “core” in the European Union, the engines there are several balancing countries, when the main country in the Customs Union is Russia;
the slight difference in the levels of economic development of the countries of the European Union also does not apply to the Customs Union, where economic differences between countries are much higher;
the driving force of the Customs Union of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus should be economic benefit for these states, at this stage it is unacceptable to turn the economic union into a geopolitical one.

In case of neglect of the aforementioned differences and the complete setting of the development of the Customs Union at the rate of the European Union, it may lead to a situation where Russia simply turns out to be a donor state in a regional association.

As for the progress of the Customs Union in the accession of new members, it can be assumed that over time, all developing states of the post-Soviet space that are not part of another regional association will join the Common Economic Space. At the moment, states such as Tajikistan, Armenia and Syria are planning to apply to join the Customs Union. Questions about whether or not to join the Customs Union arise only for those states that have the option of joining another regional grouping, such as Ukraine, planning to join the European Union, or Kyrgyzstan, which has long pondered what would be more favorable for the country's economy - integration into the Common Economic Space, or the preservation of customs privileges for the import of products from China.

Summing up, we can say that with the development of the Customs Union, it is necessary to use a combined approach in borrowing the experience of Western regional groupings. Wherein a prerequisite must be the adherence of all member countries to the rules and regulations of the WTO in all economic relations in the field of trade in goods and services both within the framework of the Common Economic Space and beyond.

Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC) international economic organization, endowed with functions related to the formation of common external customs borders of its member countries, the development of a common foreign economic policy, tariffs, prices and other components of the functioning of the common market. Since its inception, the EurAsEC members have been the five states Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan.

In accordance with the statutory goals and objectives of the EurAsEC and guided by the principle of multi-speed integration, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia in 2007-2010 created the Customs Union and systematically form the next integration stage - the Common Economic Space (CES) of the EurAsEC, to which other states of the Community will join according to as readiness.

Customs Union of Belarus, Kazakhstan and RussiaThe Customs Union is a form of trade and economic integration of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia. RIA Novosti infographics will tell you more about the main provisions of the CU, its current and possible members, as well as about further prospects for economic integration.

The customs union is a form of trade and economic integration of the parties, providing for a single customs territory, within which, on mutual trade in goods originating from third countries and released for free circulation in this customs territory, customs duties and economic restrictions are not applied, with the exception of special protective , anti-dumping and countervailing measures.

In the Customs Union, the parties apply a single customs tariff and other measures to regulate trade with third countries.

The Chairman of the Board and members of the Board are appointed for a period of four years by the decision of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council at the level of heads of state with a possible extension of their powers. The board makes decisions by voting. Each member of the Board has one vote.

The activities of the EEC are structured according to functional areas, which are supervised by members of the Board (ministers). Each direction is a block of industries and areas of economic activity. Members of the Board and EEC departments interact with authorized national authorities in the framework of their line of business.

At the moment, 23 departments function in the structure of the EEC. Under them, 17 Advisory Committees have been created in order to develop proposals for the EEC Board and hold consultations with representatives of national authorities state power... The chairmen of the committees are members of the Board (ministers) in accordance with their areas of activity.

One of the main principles of the EEC is maintaining a comprehensive dialogue with key partners. The first level of dialogue is interstate, which provides for building effective interaction with national authorities in the process of developing and making decisions. The second level of dialogue is a direct form of work with the business community.

EEC takes active position in the international arena in order to represent the activities of the Eurasian community and involve key partners from the European and Asian Pacific regions in the integration processes.

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