home

Customs union with Belarus. What is a customs union? States of the Customs Union

The Customs Union is an agreement adopted by the participants of the Eurasian Economic Union, the purpose of which is cancellation of customs payments in trade relations ... Based on these agreements, general ways implementation economic activity, a platform for quality assessments and certification.

This achieves abolition of customs control at the borders within the Union, there are general provisions for the regulation of economic activities for the external borders of the CU. 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.

In 2018, 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 the countries was canceled and general rules at the borders with states that are not in 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

Unification of borders 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 issues related to the formation customs regulations 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 trade turnover by abolishing customs controls at 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 times, the republics differed in their specialization, however, after gaining independence, there were still many changes that affect 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 product certification rules light industry 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.

Although customs posts on the borders between the parties to the agreement were eliminated, preserved border zones between countries... Sanitary control at internal borders also continued. 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 to economic development, if compared with the time before the signing of the agreements.

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.

Copying of materials is allowed only when using an active link to this site.

Eurasian Economic Union - international organization regional economic integration having international legal personality and established by the Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union. The EAEU ensures the freedom of movement of goods, services, capital and labor, as well as the implementation of a coordinated, agreed 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 EAEU Customs Union is a form of trade and economic integration of the participating countries, providing for a single customs territory, within which customs duties and economic restrictions are not applied in mutual trade in goods, with the exception of special protective, anti-dumping and countervailing measures. At the same time, the member countries of the Customs Union apply uniform customs tariffs and other regulatory measures when trading with third countries.

The 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 the past several years, including thanks to the efforts of specialists from the Eurasian Economic Commission.

Within the framework of the Customs Union and the Eurasian Economic Community, the following main international treaties have been adopted to date, designed to simplify the movement of goods on the territory of the member states:

Agreement on the implementation of a coordinated policy in the field of technical regulation, sanitary, veterinary and phytosanitary measures;
Agreement on 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. On the this moment 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 received the opportunity to increase the competitiveness of its goods within common market, which, according to experts, in less than 10 years will give it additional profits, totaling 400 billion dollars.

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, on the territory of Eurasia in the areas of the present Central and Central Asia, Southern Siberia, the Black Sea region, the Caucasus and the South of European Russia, there were large state formations of 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 largest state in the Eurasian space Russia became (in the XX century - the Soviet Union). With the arrival of Russia in Eurasia, it became possible unification of this most important geopolitical region based on agriculture and industrial production, while the Eurasian traditions of cattle-breeding and nomadic economy have been 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, Uzbekistan joined the FTA in a special manner, 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. In the people and the media this organization referred to simply as "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. At present, the signing of an agreement on a free trade zone between Syria and the CU is being prepared.

Also, a number of unrecognized or partially want to join the TS recognized states(because of 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 taken a course towards the so-called "Euro-association", 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 free trade zone bilaterally by individual EAEU countries have also been signed 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 ratification of the FTA agreement was signed by the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, on June 2 - by the President of Kyrgyzstan Almazbek Atambaev.

[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:

Customs control procedures will be weakened or removed.
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

V modern world many countries unite 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 benefit is 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 entities 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. There should also be a coordinated and ongoing economic policy of all countries, the 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.

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

Expert opinions

The list of countries of the Customs Union in the near future may be replenished with several more states, but, according to experts, so that full-fledged growth and influence on Western similar unions like the EU ( European Union), 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 yet for a long time, and the impact of the recent sanctions has clearly shown how Western politics can work to please their interests, and 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 an adequate and only correct 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 sorts of problems, joint coordinated actions of all members of the Union allow them to be resolved as quickly as possible, which makes it possible to look with optimism to the future and hope for the speedy development of the economies of all states participating in this treaty.

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, there are general provisions for the regulation of economic activities for the external borders of the CU. In view of this, a common customs area is created using a generally accepted approach to the implementation of border controls. Another distinctive feature is the equality of citizens of the customs area during employment.

Members

In 2017, the Customs Union consists of the 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).

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.

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.

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 the 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 trade turnover by abolishing customs controls at internal borders.
Adoption of uniform requirements and integration of security standards.

Achieving goals and prospects

Activity analysis

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 commodity prices remained high, which helped finance 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.

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. At various times, virtually every party to the agreement expressed disagreement with the terms of the agreements.

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.

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

Copying of materials is allowed only when using an active link to this site.

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

The goals of creating the EAEU are:

comprehensive modernization, cooperation and increasing the competitiveness of national economies;
creating conditions for the stable development of the economies of the member states in the interests of improving the living standards of their population.

Within the EAEU:

In relation to third countries of the EAEU, uniform non-tariff regulation measures are applied, such as:

prohibition of import and (or) export of goods;
quantitative restrictions on the import and (or) export of goods;
exclusive right to export and (or) import goods;
automatic licensing (supervision) of export and (or) import of goods;
permissive procedure for the import and (or) export of goods.

Member States of the Eurasian Economic Union

The history of the formation of the Eurasian Economic Union

The official date of the beginning of the formation of the Customs Union can be considered 1995, when the Agreement on the establishment of the Union was concluded between the Russian Federation, the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Republic of Belarus. The purpose of this Agreement was to establish economic interaction between the parties, to ensure free trade and fair competition.

On February 26, 1999, the Treaty on the Customs Union and the Common Economic Space was signed. Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and since 2006 - Uzbekistan have become parties to the Treaty. Until the early 2000s, the participating countries were actively engaged in the process of establishing cooperation in various fields of activity (including socio-cultural, scientific).

In 2000, a decision was made to establish the Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC). The community members are the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Russian Federation and the Republic of Tajikistan.

In 2003, the Agreement on the Formation of the Common Economic Space (CES) was signed. Work began on the preparation of the legal framework for the CES, which later became the main one for the functioning of the Union. Most important events During the formation of the Customs Union, two informal summits of the heads of the EurAsEC states took place.

At an informal summit on August 16, 2006, the heads of the EurAsEC states made a decision to form a Customs Union within the EurAsEC, according to which Kazakhstan, Belarus and Russia were instructed to prepare a legal framework. A year later, on October 6, 2007, at the EurAsEC summit, a package of documents was approved and signed that laid the foundation for the creation of the legal framework of the Customs Union (agreements on the creation of a Common Customs Territory and the formation of the Customs Union, on the Customs Union Commission, protocols on amendments to the Agreement on the Establishment EurAsEC, on the procedure for the entry into force of international treaties aimed at the formation of the legal framework of the customs union, withdrawal from them and accession to them). In addition, the Action Plan for the formation of a customs union within the EurAsEC was approved.

Officially, from January 1, 2010, the Customs Union of the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation began to function. The united states began to apply a single customs tariff and uniform non-tariff regulation measures in foreign trade with third countries, and also streamlined tariff benefits and preferences for goods from third countries, and the Customs Code of the Customs Union began to operate. Gradually, on the internal borders of the member countries of the Customs Union, customs clearance and customs control began to be canceled, points for receiving notifications were eliminated.

In 2012, international treaties entered into force that form the legal basis of the Common Economic Space of the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation, creating the basis for the free movement of not only goods, but also services, capital and labor.

With the signing of the Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union on May 29, 2014, the member states of the Customs Union and the Common Economic Space initiated a new closer interaction. On October 10, 2014, the Republic of Armenia joined the EAEU Treaty. On December 23, 2014, the Agreement on the accession of the Kyrgyz Republic to the EAEU was signed.

The structure of the unified customs legislation of the Eurasian Economic Union

In connection with the formation of the regulatory legal framework of the Eurasian Economic Union, the customs legislation of the member states is being changed. First of all, in addition to the current national legislation, two more levels of regulation have appeared: international agreements of the member states of the Customs Union and the Decisions of the Customs Union Commission (currently the Eurasian Economic Commission). At the moment, the customs legislation of the EAEU is a four-tier system:

Customs Code of the Eurasian Economic Union

The transition to a higher level of integration required major changes in the Union's legal and regulatory framework. Work on the creation of a new Customs Code was carried out for several years, the process required numerous approvals of amendments from the member states of the Union. On December 26, 2016, the Customs Code of the Eurasian Economic Union was adopted, which replaced the Customs Code of the Customs Union, adopted in 2009. The new Customs Code of the EAEU entered into force on January 1, 2018. The document combines many international treaties and agreements of the Customs Union (for example, the Agreement on the determination of the customs value of goods transported across the customs border of the Customs Union), which will become invalid in whole or in part.

The EAEU Customs Code contains a number of new provisions concerning not only the structure of the Code itself (the new EAEU CC contains 4 annexes, which were not in the CU CC), but also the rules of customs regulation in the Union. So, in the draft of the Customs Code of the EAEU, the conceptual apparatus was updated, the principle of a "single window" was introduced, the priority of electronic declaration was declared, some changes were made to customs procedures, the institution of an authorized economic operator was reformed, etc.

Governing bodies of the Eurasian Economic Union

The governing bodies of the EAEU are:

Supreme Eurasian Economic Council (supreme governing body)
Eurasian Intergovernmental Council
Eurasian Economic Commission (working permanent body)
Court of the Eurasian Economic Union

Areas of activity of the Eurasian Economic Commission.

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

There is no customs duty. Moreover, not only for goods of our 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.

Participants:

Armenia;
Kazakhstan;
Kyrgyzstan;
Russia;
Belarus.

Membership candidates:

Tunisia;
Syria;
Tajikistan.

TS managers

There was a special CU commission, which was approved at the time of signing the agreement on the Customs Union. Its rules were the basis of the organization's legal activities. 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 (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

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 a rise in salaries in the state in 2015.

That is why the world experience of such large economic formations cannot be attributed to this case. The countries that have entered the Customs Union are expecting, if not fast, but stable growth of economic ties.

Contract

All the nuances associated with the territories of the vehicle were also finalized.

Territory of the Customs Union

EAEU

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

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.

Main provisions of the Treaty on the EAEU

In the received contract the countries of the single Customs Union, now the EAEU, have 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.

Agreed provides an opportunity to translate into reality all conceived plans and agreements. In such conditions, general principles of interaction are developed and effective development of countries is ensured.

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

Expert opinions

The list of countries of the Customs Union in the near future may be replenished with several more states, but, according to experts, in order to notice full growth and influence on Western similar unions by type, 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 an adequate and only correct decision, capable of helping to somehow strengthen relations between states in the event of further Western pressure on Russia.

06.11.2018

Customs Union (CU)- an interstate agreement within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). The CU assumes the abolition of customs duties and similar payments in mutual trade between the member states of the union. In addition, the Customs Union unifies the methods of quality assessment and certification, creates a unified database on some 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 outer boundaries 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 CU, equal rights of citizens of the participating countries are assumed in employment.

Currently (2016) members of the Customs Union are EAEU members:

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

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

The governing and coordination bodies in the EAEU are:

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

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

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

The share of 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 EAEU member states.

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

The history of the creation of the vehicle

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

1995 - Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia sign the first agreement on the creation of the Customs Union. Subsequently, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan 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 space on the territory of Belarus, Russia and Kazakhstan;
2010 - the Unified Customs Tariff comes into force, the Customs Code common to 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 common for the countries of the Union legislative norms, the first unified technical regulation on product safety appears;
2015 - Armenia and Kyrgyzstan join the Customs Union.
2016 - Entry into force of the Free Trade Zone Agreement between the EAEU and Vietnam. Statement of the Presidents of the EAEU countries "On the digital agenda of the Eurasian Economic Union".
2017 - "White Paper" of barriers, exemptions and restrictions. Signing and ratification of the Treaty on the Customs Code of the EAEU.
2018 - Entry into force of the Treaty on the Customs Code of the EAEU. Granting the Republic of Moldova the status of an observer country under the EAEU. Signing of the Agreement on Trade and Economic Cooperation between the EAEU and the PRC. Signing of the 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 speeds and results, were constantly going on throughout the described period. Legislation and customs tariffs in trade with third countries were gradually brought to common standards.

Objectives 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, for the growth of sales within the Common Customs Space of the Union. It was supposed to achieve this by:

Cancellation of internal customs payments, which should contribute to the attractiveness of prices for products manufactured in the Union;
Acceleration of the turnover of goods due to the abolition of customs control and clearance during their movement within the vehicle;
Adoption of common sanitary-epidemiological and veterinary requirements, uniform safety standards for goods and services, mutual recognition of test results.

To unify approaches to quality and safety, an interstate agreement was concluded on compulsory certification of products specified in the "Unified list of products subject to compulsory assessment (confirmation) of conformity within the framework of the Customs Union with the issuance of unified documents." For 2016, more than three dozen regulations on safety and quality requirements for goods, works and services have been approved. 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 CU, the creation of favorable conditions for the production and sale, first of all, of the domestic products of the member states of the Union. At this point, the program of mutual understanding between states turned out to be somewhat less than in matters of mutual trade. Each country had its own priorities in the development of production, while protecting the interests of neighbors sometimes did not have the best effect on importing enterprises and the population.

Contradictions in the vehicle

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

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

The history of integration processes in recent 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 state purchases. For the sake of this, Belarus agreed to an increase in tariffs for the import of passenger cars in 2010-2011, without having its own production of such products. Such a "sacrifice" also became the reason for the announcement of the mandatory certification of light industry goods, which hurt small-scale retail trade. In addition, the internal standards of the CU had to be brought into line with the norms, although Russia is a member of this organization (and uses the appropriate opportunities in international trade), while Belarus is not.

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

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

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

Advantages of the Customs Union

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

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

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

The agreements in force in the CU enable the duty-free sale of vehicles produced in 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 actual Belarusian sales market.

Practice of application of customs agreements

Studying the published information on 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 an increase in trade.

But one should obviously not treat the Union as a PR campaign. A noticeable simplification of the movement of goods, a decrease in the number of administrative procedures, a slight improvement in competitive conditions for enterprises of the member countries of the CU. Probably, it takes time and mutual interest not only to fill the agreed uniform rules with economic content. state institutions, but also business entities within the vehicle.

What else to read

What will happen if you do not eat for a long time: the consequences and recommendations of specialists Fat people often eat only 2 times a day, and sincerely do not understand why the weight does not move. Some with this ...

History of the narrow-gauge railways in Russia The method of transporting goods in carts along longitudinal guides was invented in ancient times. At 15 - 16 ...

Cyrillic numeral system This numbering was created together with the Slavic alphabetical system for the translation of the sacred biblical books for the Slavs ...

Customs union with Belarus. What is a customs union? States of the Customs Union

Formation stages

Territory and administration

Destinations and conditions

Achieving goals and prospects

Activity analysis

EAEU Customs Union

Technical regulation in the EAEU Customs Union

Member States of the Customs Union

Russia

Kazakhstan

Belarus

Armenia and Kyrgyzstan

Eurasian Union

[edit] History of Eurasian integration

[edit] Timeline of integration

[edit] Eurasian Economic Union

[edit] Composition of the EAEU

[edit] Integration levels

[edit] Common economic space

[edit] Customs Union

[edit] Composition of the vehicle

[edit] CU candidates

[edit] Free Trade Zone

[edit] FTA signatories

[edit] FTA under negotiation

[edit] Expressed interest in collaboration

[edit] What does joining the EAEU give

[edit] Western reactions

Countries of the Customs Union: list

Active countries and candidates

TS managers

Purpose of the Customs Union

Benefits and prospects

Contract

Territory of the Customs Union

Bodies of the Union

Main provisions of the Treaty on the EAEU

Expert opinions

List of countries participating in the Customs Union in 2017

Members

Formation stages

Territory and administration

Destinations and conditions

Achieving goals and prospects

Activity analysis

Member States of the Eurasian Economic Union

The history of the formation of the Eurasian Economic Union

The structure of the unified customs legislation of the Eurasian Economic Union

Customs Code of the Eurasian Economic Union

Governing bodies of the Eurasian Economic Union

Active countries and candidates

TS managers

Purpose of the Customs Union

Benefits and prospects

Contract

Territory of the Customs Union

EAEU

Bodies of the Union

Main provisions of the Treaty on the EAEU

Expert opinions

The history of the creation of the vehicle

Objectives of the Customs Union and their implementation

Contradictions in the vehicle

Advantages of the Customs Union

Practice of application of customs agreements

What else to read

THE LAST NOTES

Categories