Eurasian Economic Union. Reference. EAES - what is it? EAEU Member States

The Russian diaspora is one of the largest in the world, but for Russia it is more problem than an instrument of influence

Alexander Khaldei

A few months ago, I wrote an article about how difficult it is for Russians in Kazakhstan if they occupy some significant position or active life position. In general, the topic of discrimination against Russians in Kazakhstan is so old that it is somehow inconvenient to return to it again, but since there is a problem, it is impossible not to respond to it.

With the collapse of the USSR, a huge number of Russians in the former republics were not needed by either the republics or Russia. Russia and its citizens did not know what to do, and in the republics there was a process of national construction, and the Russians, the bearers of the idea of ​​​​the departed, international statehood, became a hindrance.

In the Baltics, Russians were lowered to the status of non-citizens, in Kazakhstan they are squeezed out of their posts by all means, provoking them to leave for Russia, and it’s also good that they were not killed, as in Dudayev’s Chechnya or Kyrgyzstan. As they say, thank you for being alive.

Unusual adventures of a Kazakhstani in Russia

Gennady Osipov, a former resident of Kazakhstan, now a refugee in Russia, went through all the circles of this hell, faced with arbitrariness as an employee of the local district administration. There he was responsible for the housing and communal services sector, where he quickly put things in order, which did not fit in with the plans of the local leadership, who knew how to profit from the mess. Osipov began to be persecuted, he searched for the truth everywhere, ran for deputies, he was filmed, started and closed custom-made criminal cases, in a word, they beat him from all calibers. Osipov turned out to be a staunch fighter and reached Nazarbayev himself. He ordered to cancel the persecution, but after a while they started again. There was only one way out: a suitcase, a railway station, Russia. The Russians have been following this bitter path of the Exodus since 1991. And there is no end in sight.

Here are fragments of Osipov's correspondence with Russian organizations, where he turned for help in defending his rights. The correspondence is so eloquent that it is worth simply quoting it without any comments. Texts speak better. It reads like a detective novel in letters.

1. Embassy of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Kazakhstan. The Consular Section.

Gennady Dmitrievich, in accordance with the appeal, we inform you that in Russia there is no concept of political asylum for citizens of the former USSR. Entrance to the territory Russian Federation free and visa-free. You can freely leave Kazakhstan for the Russian Federation. Head of the Consular Department of the Russian Embassy in Kazakhstan D. Ignatiev.

2. Vice Chairman State Duma. G.D. Osipov. Dear Gennady Dmitrievich! In connection with your appeal on the issue of violation of your labor and other rights, I sent a deputy request to the State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation G.B. Karasin, who oversees issues of bilateral relations with the CIS states and work with compatriots abroad to consider this appeal on the merits. You will be informed about the results later. Sincerely, P.O. Tolstoy.

3. Fund for the support and protection of the rights of compatriots living abroad. Dear Gennady Dmitrievich! According to the Charter, the fund provides legal support to compatriots living abroad in case of violation of their rights, freedoms and legitimate interests. ... It is not clear from the information you provided which rights you consider violated. We believe that the solution of the issues raised by you is completely within the legal field of Kazakhstan. In this regard, we see no grounds for the involvement of our Fund. Executive Director I.K. Panevkin.

4. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia. Dear Gennady Dmitrievich! In connection with your appeal addressed to the President of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin, we inform you the following: The refusal received by you in court does not objectively give grounds to assert with certainty that ethnic Russians are discriminated against in Kazakhstan. Relations between Russia and Kazakhstan are based on a solid foundation of strategic partnership and close cooperation, secured by the Treaty of Good Neighborliness and Alliance signed in 2013... At the same time, if you have specific factual information about the infringement of the rights of Russians living in Kazakhstan, please send it to us. Deputy Director of the Third Department of the CIS countries V. Spirichan.

5. Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation. Osipov G.D. Dear Gennady Dmitrievich! Your next appeal to the Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation has been studied. ... The Commissioner's competence does not extend to foreign citizens. ... You have the citizenship of Kazakhstan. Thus, the Commissioner is deprived of any grounds for interference. Based on this, further correspondence with you will be terminated.

6. State Duma of the Russian Federation, Communist Party faction. President of the Republic of Kazakhstan N.A. Nazarbayev. Copy: G.D. Osipov. Dear Nursultan Abishevich! GD Osipov from Pavlodar, the Republic of Kazakhstan applied to the faction. Russian by nationality, he lived in your republic for many years, but now he has been fired from public service(he reports that he worked as the head of communal property in Pavlodar). He asks to help him recover at work or move to the border region of Kazakhstan with the Russian Federation and help him find a job in his specialty. I am sending you an appeal from Osipov G.D. I ask you, if possible, to help him recover in the service or help him find a job in another place in his specialty. Head of the faction G.A. Zyuganov.

7. Dear Gennady Dmitrievich! We have received your submissions. It clearly follows from them that Kazakh justice has a clear selective character. Your story confirms numerous facts of discrimination against Russians nationality. These facts are known to us, and a member of our Institute has encountered them as well. (The following are the coordinates of the Kazakh Center for Legal Aid "Nadezhda", whose lawyers help Russian compatriots - my note, A.Kh). Your example, of course, will be taken into account when analyzing the situation of Russians in Kazakhstan. Legal Center of the Institute of the CIS Countries, Dokuchaeva A.V.

Russia is a giant, ashamed of its greatness

The whole range of reactions to the problem is before us. Regularity - the further the organization is from real opportunities to help, the more adequate its reaction (Institute of the CIS countries). The closer an organization is to international or legal relations, the more effort it puts into avoiding solving the problem. The main desire is not to get involved in a conflict. The main remedy is by no means to acknowledge the existence of the problem itself. This is followed by a filigree game of passing, when the complaint is sent to someone else, and frank annoyance and even hostility towards the complainant is clearly read.

What can be said here? Yes, Russia has lost many, although not all, levers of influence on the former Soviet republics, and they sometimes allow themselves boorish antics towards both Russia and the Russians living in these republics. And Russia, in order not to aggravate the already difficult relations, seeks to avoid any conflict topics. And these topics are supplied in abundance by Russian communities in the former republics, where Russians have turned from an imperial nation into second-class citizens. Lacking the means to bring the republics into unions, but desperate for these unions, Russia is trying not to clash with the leadership of Kazakhstan. The attitude towards other republics is similar.

Just as interests in the field of export of petroleum products through the Baltic States at one time did not allow to intervene in arbitrariness local authorities to the Russians, now the interests of the unity of the EAEU do not allow this in Kazakhstan. If such a thing was not practiced against a NATO member, what can we say about an ally in the EAEU? Even now, when Kazakhstan is already openly putting US interests ahead of those allied with Russia, saying that it will immediately withdraw from the EEU if it believes that Russia is trying to limit their sovereignty, Russia prefers not to overreact and smooth things over.

This says one thing so far: Russia is too weak and too in need of alliances on its Asian borders. After the collapse of the USSR, she cannot afford disputes with those whom she considers key partners. Any pressure on Kazakhstan regarding the interests of the Russians will immediately cause an extremely irritated reaction with far-reaching consequences - a transfer of power is being prepared in Kazakhstan and the pro-American clans are strong enough, for whom the dispute over the Russians will be a gift for inflating the topic of Russian interference in the internal affairs of Kazakhstan. Because the Russian Foreign Ministry shied away from this topic like the plague.

It only means that in Russia there is no adequate institution capable of solving the problem of Russians in the near abroad in general and in Kazakhstan in particular. Yes, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is not the authority that should be involved in a conflict topic if the task of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is to search for points of contact and building bridges, and not points of divergence and conflict. The situation when the interests of Russians abroad are most adequately understood by... the Research Institute of the CIS Countries is also not normal. The Institute understands everything correctly, only it cannot do anything. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs can do the most, but then it will be engaged in destruction international relations and not their adjustment.

Other institutions are needed here civil society. They have not yet been created in Russia. So far, there is not even an idea what it should be and how it should be arranged. Obviously, this should be some kind of public organization with a federal platform, around which there will be business structures, cultural organizations, political parties who, without the support of this structure, will find it more difficult to win elections. Most likely, it must be powerful non-profit organization in the form of a foundation with research and policy units.

But powerful NGOs mean powerful money, and Russia is not yet in the position to form internal situation in the countries of interest. Even with friendly Belarus, there are no levers of work except for the ambassador. Ukraine has already been lost because of this. Belarus is balancing on dangerous edge. It is clear that it is not advisable to open another line of confrontation with Kazakhstan.

But this is a chicken-and-egg argument. That without what does not happen - money without influence or influence without money. We can say: we will get rich - then we will start building NGOs. And you can say this: if you don’t start building NGOs, you will never get rich. You will lose even those who are still friends today. If you wait for money and do not build institutions of influence, there will never be either influence or money. Russians abroad are a colossal resource, but due to the fact that they are not in demand in Russia, there are no institutions to support and use this resource.

This is for those cynics who look at everything in the world as a resource. And if we understand that our people are there, our people and our brothers, whom we have already lost in many ways and continue to lose, then there is no reason to postpone this work at all. One can definitely say that the seriousness of Russia's intentions in building alliances in the post-Soviet space is determined not by the degree of hushing up of the problem of Russians, but, on the contrary, by the maximum use of this topic in the matter of a new gathering of lands.

The new union must have a supranational - international - idea, and only Russians can carry this idea - the only state-forming people capable of global state building on the basis of a global idea. All other narrow national projects eventually lead to the loss of sovereignty in front of the global centers of power.

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 included Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus. The EAEU was created on the basis 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 the acceding states - Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan signed the first agreements on the creation of the Customs Union. Based on these agreements, the Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC) was created in 2000.

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

The establishment of the Eurasian Customs Union was guaranteed by 3 different treaties signed in 1995, 1999 and 2007. The first treaty 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.

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

Before the 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 framework of 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 the joint commission (Eurasian Economic Commission) to strengthen closer economic ties to create the Eurasian Economic Union by 2015.

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

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

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

Economy of the Eurasian Economic Union

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

Reducing the prices of goods, due to a decrease in the cost of transporting raw materials or exporting finished products.

Stimulation of "healthy" competition in the common market of the EAEU due to an equal level of economic development.

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

Average increase wages by reducing costs and increasing productivity.

Increasing production due to increased demand for goods.

Increasing the well-being of the peoples of the EAEU countries, due to lower food prices and an increase in employment.

Increasing the payback of new technologies and products due to the increased market size.

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

Characteristics of the EAEU countries (as of 2014)

Source - CIA World Factbook

Governing bodies of the Eurasian Economic Union

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

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

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

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

Within the competence of the Commission:

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

The Commission ensures the implementation of international treaties that make up the legal framework of the Eurasian Economic Union.

The Commission is also the depository of international treaties that constituted the legal framework of the CU and the CES, and now the EAEU, as well as decisions of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council.

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

The budget of the Commission is made up of the contributions of the Member States and is approved by the Heads of the EAEU Member States.

Possible new members of the Eurasian Economic Union

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

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

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

Azerbaijan and Moldova are waiting for every fifth person in the EAEU (23% and 20% respectively). Only 17% of survey participants are in favor of joining the EAEU of Uzbekistan, while Tajikistan and Georgia - 14% each. Respondents spoke least of all in favor of attracting Ukraine to the Eurasian Economic Union - 10%. And 13% of respondents believe that the EAEU should not be expanded yet.

Poll of public opinion in the CIS regarding integration

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

The results of the answers "profitable" and "very profitable" are given below:

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

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

06.11.2018

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

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

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

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

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

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

The governing and coordination bodies in the EAEU are:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The history of the creation of the vehicle

For a better understanding of the prerequisites and goals of the creation of the Customs Union, it will be useful to consider the evolution integration processes in the post-Soviet space:

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

It must be said that the integration processes, with different speed and results, constantly went the entire described period. Gradually led to general norms legislation and customs tariffs in trade with third countries.

Goals of the Customs Union and their implementation

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

• Cancellation of internal customs payments, which should contribute to the price attractiveness of products manufactured in the Union;
• Acceleration of the turnover of goods in connection with the abolition of customs control and clearance when they are moved within the CU;
• Adoption of general sanitary-epidemiological and veterinary requirements, common standards for the safety of goods and services, mutual recognition of test results.

To unify approaches to quality and safety, an interstate agreement was concluded on mandatory certification of products specified in the "Unified list of products subject to mandatory assessment (confirmation) of conformity within the framework of the Customs Union with the issuance of single documents." For 2016, more than three dozen regulations on the requirements for the safety and quality of goods, works and services have been agreed. Certificates issued by any state are valid in all others.

The next goal of the Customs Union should be called the joint protection of the internal market of the Customs Union, the creation of favorable conditions for the production and sale, first of all, of the domestic products of the member countries of the Union. At this point, the program of mutual understanding between the states turned out to be somewhat less than in matters of mutual trade. Each country had its own priorities in the development of production, while protecting the interests of neighbors is sometimes not in the best way affected importing enterprises and the population.

Contradictions in the TS

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

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

The history of the integration processes of the last decades looks like a series of compromises between the influence of Russia and the interests of its neighbors. For example, Belarus has repeatedly stated that it is not the Customs Union itself that is important to it, but a single economic space with equal prices for oil and gas and the admission of enterprises of the Republic to Russian public procurement. For the sake of this, Belarus agreed to increase tariffs for the import of passenger cars in 2010-2011, without own production similar products. Such a "sacrifice" also became the reason for the announcement of mandatory certification of light industry goods, which hurt the small retail trade. In addition, the internal standards of the Customs Union had to be brought into line with the norms, although Russia is a member of this organization (and uses the relevant opportunities in international trade), but Belarus is not.

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

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

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

Advantages of the Customs Union

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

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

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

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

The practice of applying customs agreements

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

But the Union should obviously not be treated as a PR campaign. There is a noticeable simplification of the movement of goods, a decrease in the number of administrative procedures, and some improvement in competitive conditions among enterprises of the CU member countries. Probably to fill the agreed common rules economic content takes time and mutual interest not only state institutions, but also business entities within the CU.

In Astana (Kazakhstan) by the presidents of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. Entered into force on January 1, 2015.

: Armenia (since January 2, 2015), Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan (since August 12, 2015) and Russia.

The population of the EAEU countries as of January 1, 2016 is 182.7 million people (2.5% of the world population). Gross domestic product in the EAEU countries in 2014 amounted to $2.2 trillion (3.2% in the structure of world GDP). The volume of industrial production reached 1.3 trillion dollars (3.7% of world industrial production). The volume of foreign trade in goods of the EAEU with third countries in 2014 amounted to 877.6 billion dollars (3.7% of world exports, 2.3% of world imports).

The Eurasian Economic Union was created on the basis of the Customs Union of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus and the Common Economic Space as an international organization for regional economic integration with international legal personality.

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

The idea of ​​creating the EAEU was laid down in the Declaration on Eurasian Economic Integration adopted by the presidents of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan on November 18, 2011. It fixes the goals of Eurasian economic integration for the future, including the task of creating the Eurasian Economic Union by January 1, 2015.

The creation of the EAEU means a transition to the next stage of integration after the Customs Union and the Common Economic Space.

The main goals of the Union are:

— creation of conditions for the stable development of the economies of the Member States in the interests of raising the living standards of their population;

— the desire to form a single market for goods, services, capital and labor resources within the Union;

— comprehensive modernization, cooperation and competitiveness enhancement national economies in a global economy.

The supreme body of the EAEU is the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council (SEEC), which includes the heads of member states. The SEEC considers the fundamental issues of the Union's activities, determines the strategy, directions and prospects for the development of integration and makes decisions aimed at realizing the goals of the Union.

Meetings of the Supreme Council are held at least once a year. Extraordinary meetings of the Supreme Council may be convened on the initiative of any of the Member States or the Chairman of the Supreme Council to resolve urgent issues of the Union's activities.

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

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

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

The chairmanship of the SEEC, the EMC and the EEC Council (the level of vice-premiers) is carried out on a rotational basis in the order of the Russian alphabet by one member state for one calendar year without the right to renew.

In 2016, Kazakhstan chairs these bodies.

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

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

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

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

Today, questions about the EAEU, what it is, what power it can contain, are gradually finding their answers. It is obvious that such seemingly stable international organizations, like NATO and the European Union, a cohesive Western world leads to a logical contraction of a similar policy of power in the East. And Russia seeks to become the center of such forces by creating the EAEU, the union is designed to generate not only economic growth, but also political weight.

Inactive CIS

EAEU - what is it? Formally, this is a young international association that personifies the eastern opposition to the western monoliths. However, Eurasian Union by no means a new idea, it was created on the basis of already existing, but proved to be ineffective organizations. In principle, the well-known CIS - the Commonwealth of independent states, which for the most part was an inactive union with very little substance.

The second organization in this area was the Eurasian Economic Community. The idea of ​​its creation was submitted by the President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev in 1994. For five years, the partners have been looking for optimal solutions for the implementation of the new partnership. And in 2000, Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan signed a corresponding agreement, according to which the partnership came into force in 2001.

Customs Union

One of the main issues of the EurAsEC was the discussion of the creation of a single customs area. As a result, at the beginning of 2010, the Customs Union began to work within the framework of the EurAsEC. The Union was created with the aim of strengthening trade integration, creating trade duty-free zones, where the exchange of goods would not be accompanied by any economic restrictions. The union included all the states of the EAEU, the formation of which has also been actively discussed ever since.

The implementation of the actions of the unified customs code, which was adopted and ratified by all member states, was not cloudless. The conflict flared up between the Kremlin and Minsk, so much so that Vladimir Putin threatened the Belarusian leader that the union would begin without him. As a result, in April 2011, transport control on the Russian-Belarusian border was canceled. With the preserved border and migration from these countries, it assumes zero and no excise payments. When importing VAT and excises, they go to the tax authorities of the Russian Federation.

The second step is towards a single space

At the end of 2011, the participating countries created among the main tasks of the commission, among other things, the further strengthening of economic ties as a springboard on which the creation of the EAEU was to unfold.

At the beginning of 2012, it was formed to strengthen the mutual integration of countries. The start of work was marked by 17 agreements ratified by all members of the created space.

This was the last organizational stage, which resulted in an agreement on the creation of the EAEU signed on May 29 last year in Astana, the business center of Kazakhstan. On January 1 this year, the union entered into force with the participation of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus, a day later the agreement was ratified by Armenia. And only four months later, the accession of Kyrgyzstan took place.

Armenian share

For a long time, Armenia dragged on joining the Russian alliances in the Asian theater. And although the country joined the newborn union on January 2 of this year, until then, for several years, it had been pulling out additional preferences for itself in any talk about joining the same Customs Union and earlier organizations. As a result of the delay tactics, Armenia knocked out a 1.13% share of the customs duties of goods imported into the territory of the union. It should be noted that the country does not have direct borders with any of the members of the Customs Union. In addition, uniform for the purchase of goods (mainly we are talking on agricultural products) Armenia will switch only by 2022. For milk, eggs and honey, separate tariffs will be valid until 2020, and for fruits and nuts - until 2019.

Similar exemptions are provided for other types of food products. Until 2018, zero customs duties on gasoline will be applied, a single tariff with the EAEU will be introduced only in 2020. In the same way, it is planned to regulate duties on pharmaceuticals, organic and inorganic products, fertilizers, household chemicals and some others.

Benefits for the new member mainly fell on the largest player in the union - Russia, and, according to some economists, this year it could cost $5.2 billion. It is worth adding that shortly before the official entry of Armenia into the EAEU, the European Union allocated 77.5 million euros.

arrived in the regiment

The last member to date to join the union was Kyrgyzstan, the EAEU will finally accept the new player on May 29, according to the signed documents. The newly elected President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, announced his accession on May 8 this year. In his speech, he noted that all the doubts that had arisen earlier were removed.

Moreover, at the same time, the Kazakh leader also announced the intention that the EAEU countries expressed not so long ago to conclude an agreement on a free trade zone with Vietnam. Turkey, Azerbaijan, India and Mongolia also showed interest in this agreement.

Economic Development Strategy

Although there has been a long road to the creation of the EAEU, what it is from an economic point of view is still not very clear. Several integration positive aspects for national economies were declared at once. In particular, the final cost of goods should be reduced due to the significantly reduced costs of transporting goods within countries, as well as selling them abroad. Economic development participating countries should be at the same level, which will ensure "healthy" competition. Meanwhile, how the countries would reach the same level was not explained. In addition, cost savings resulting from the removal of trade restrictions are expected to increase productivity and, as a result, increase wages.

The expanding territory of the EAEU and economic growth will lead to an increase in demand, adherents of the union believe, which, in turn, will stimulate and contribute to an increase in production of all types of goods. And thus, the well-being of the peoples included in the union should only grow every year.

Compromise approaches

Despite the declared tasks, the union nevertheless began its existence with obligations of a lighter form. Thus, a much smaller range of powers was left to the Eurasian Economic Commission and the court, which were supposed to monitor and regulate compliance with the agreements. In case of non-fulfillment of the EEC resolutions, the dispute goes to the judicial plane. However, the decisions made by the court are advisory in nature, and of course, decisions on controversial issues are made at the level of the Council of State Leaders. Moreover, until 2025, or even for an indefinite period, decisions on the creation of a financial regulator of the EAEU, as well as a single body for managing energy trade, have been postponed.

Control bodies

Within the framework of the EAEU, following the example of the European Union, the relevant administrative bodies were created: the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council and the Eurasian Economic Commission. The composition of the first governing body includes the leaders of the participating countries and the chairmen of the governments of these states. Leaders within the union meet at least once a year, and heads of government meet, as a rule, twice a year. Decisions are made on a democratic basis, they are binding on all members of the union. The powers of the SEEC also include determining the composition and competence of other bodies of the union.

The EEC is a permanent body of the Union. Its powers are defined in the charter of the EAEU and imply the provision of conditions for the successful integration of countries into common economic realities. Also, the competences of the previously existing commission of the Customs Union were transferred to the EEC. Among them are the definition of macroeconomic, energy, monetary, migration policy; resolving issues of tariff regulation and natural monopolies, subsidies and foreign trade, and many others. The budget of the EEC is formed at the expense of contributions from the members of the union.

Western reaction

The organization of a strong eastern alliance, of course, does not smile at all on the countries of the West. Both the European powers and the United States express their fears and disagreement with any attempts at integration in the post-Soviet space, and even more so in the former composition. The question “EAEU - what is it, first of all, from a political point of view” at first was asked by almost all antagonist political scientists.

The most categorical dissatisfaction was voiced by the United States, which, after the creation of the Customs Union and on the eve of the agreements on the EAEU, unequivocally designated this as Russia's attempts to take a dominant position in the post-Soviet space. Meanwhile, according to the American political scientist, Russia can become a powerful power and form an eastern policy only if it unites with Ukraine.

Prospects for the single currency

It was created relatively recently, but the most pressing issues remain monetary and financial integration, which involves, in particular, the creation of a single currency that will strengthen the single market between all participating countries. Already in March of this year, Vladimir Putin instructed the Central Bank and the lower house of parliament to find a solution to these issues together with the central banks of all countries participating in the union by September 1 this year.

Among the names of the new monetary unit, “altyn” (a term of Turkic origin dating back to the Golden Horde) and “evraz” are discussed, which intersects with the euro. Experts, commenting on the idea of ​​a single currency, note that full-fledged integration is impossible without it. Earlier, the idea of ​​creating a single Eurasian Central Bank was also expressed, following the example for Kazakhstan, Russia and Belarus. The documents signed on this issue indicated the year 2025. At the same time, deteriorating geopolitical situation, probably pushes, in particular, Vladimir Putin to accelerated measures, analysts believe.

Political ambitions

As soon as the talk turned to monetary integration within the framework of the EAEU, international experts began to evaluate the union even more clearly from the point of view of an exclusively political plane. Experts argue that accelerating this process with complete distrust of any of the currencies of the participating countries is an extremely risky operation, and the prospects for the EAEU raise big questions in this context. Understanding this, of course, will convince the partners to meet Moscow halfway, but it will also allow them to bargain for a lot of concessions. All countries, analysts say, are ready to work together only if they can get something in return. These preferences will be covered by the Russian budget. And since the extreme interest in the union is obvious from the Russian side, it may have the weakest position.