Which states are members of the customs union. Cooperation with integration associations. Public opinion poll in the CIS on integration

Undoubtedly, both the customs authorities and business in the early stages of the functioning of the Customs Union will experience the problems of the transition period ...

Andrey Belyaninov, Head of the FCS of Russia
performance at international conference in Moscow on October 22, 2009

Customs union: concept and examples from world experience

The Customs Union is an interstate formation that involves the unification of the territories of the participating States, within which customs borders and customs barriers are eliminated, are not applied customs duties and administrative restrictions in mutual trade, which ensures the free movement of goods, services, capital and labor, the unification of the internal legislation of the participating countries and the creation of supranational legal regulation, contributes to the stability and growth of national economies.

The main tasks of the states in the customs union are:

• creation of a single customs territory within the borders of the united countries;
• introduction of a regime that does not allow tariff and non-tariff restrictions in mutual trade, with the exception of cases stipulated by special regulations;
• complete abolition of customs control at the internal borders of the participating countries;
• the use of the same type of mechanisms for regulating the economy and trade, based on universal market principles of management and harmonized economic legislation;
• functioning of the unified management bodies of the customs union.

On the external border in trade relations with countries that are not members of the customs union, it is assumed:

• application of the general customs tariff;
• the use of uniform non-tariff regulation measures;
• implementation of a unified customs policy and application of unified customs regimes.

Integration economic associations, which are based on the abolition of tariff and non-tariff restrictions in mutual trade, are almost always beneficial for the countries participating in them. Such associations are well known in the world: at present, the North American Free Trade Area (NAFTA), which since 1994 includes the United States, Canada and Mexico, is successfully functioning; The South American Common Market (MERCOSUR, 1991), which includes Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay; The Central American Common Market (CACM), formed in 1961, in which different time included Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica.

The most famous economic and political regional association - the European Union - is also based on a customs union, the formation of which began on January 1, 1958 and was completed by 1993, taking more than 30 years.

History of the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan

The agreement on the creation of an economic union of September 24, 1993, developed within the CIS, envisaged the construction of a customs union as one of the stages of integration. Then, in 1995, the Agreement on the Customs Union was concluded between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus, which was later joined by Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and since 2006 - Uzbekistan became the parties to the Treaty on the Customs Union and the Common Economic Space, signed on February 26, 1999.

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, which laid the foundation for the creation of a legal framework. Customs Union(treaties on the establishment of a Common Customs Territory and the formation of the Customs Union, on the Commission of the Customs Union, protocols on amendments to the Agreement on the Establishment of the EurAsEC, on the procedure for the entry into force of international treaties aimed at forming 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.

It can be said that on October 6, 2007, the heads of the three countries for the first time implemented the idea of ​​a customs union on the territory of the CIS, creating the necessary regulatory framework for its functioning, and thus proceeded to its practical implementation.

The next stage in the formation of the customs union fell on 2010:

• from January 1, the united states began to apply a single customs tariff (based on the Unified Commodity Nomenclature) and uniform non-tariff regulation measures in foreign trade with third countries, and also streamlined tariff benefits and preferences for goods from third countries;
• from July 1, customs clearance and customs control were canceled on the territories of Russia and Kazakhstan, and from July 6 - on the territory of Belarus. Also, on July 6, the Customs Code of the Customs Union (hereinafter - TC CU) began to operate for our country.

And finally, the last (at the moment) milestone in the formation of the Customs Union was the date of July 1, 2011. It was then that the customs control at the internal borders of the countries of the Customs Union was actually abolished. On the Russian-Kazakh section of the border, the customs authorities stop performing customs operations and all functions of customs control in relation to goods and vehicles following through state border Russia. On the Russian-Belarusian border at the points of acceptance of notifications (PPU), the implementation of the remaining until recently certain operations to control the transit of goods from third countries are terminated. The PPUs themselves are being liquidated. The functions of customs control in relation to goods and vehicles traveling to the territory of the Customs Union are now carried out by the customs services of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan at checkpoints on the external border of the Customs Union.

Thus, the customs union of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia is being built on the economic and territorial platform of YerAsEC, has common governing bodies with it, partly a legal framework and parallel membership of these three countries in both organizations. The creation of a customs union is not the ultimate goal of the EurAsEC countries; it is only one of the forms of integration on the way to the model of a single economic space. It is also assumed that in the future it will include other EurAsEC member states. In turn, the Common Economic Space presupposes integration not only in the economic, customs, but also in the political sphere.

Positive aspects of the Customs Union

The creation of a customs union, in comparison with a free trade zone, provides business entities originating from the member states with the following advantages:

• reducing the cost of creating, processing, moving, transporting goods within the territory of the customs union;
• reduction of time and financial costs associated with administrative restrictions and barriers;
• reducing the number of customs procedures that must be passed to import goods from third countries;
• opening of new sales markets;
• simplification of customs legislation due to its unification.

Legal framework of the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan

The documents were put into effect on January 1, 2010 establishing the general procedure for tariff and non-tariff regulation in the customs union, namely:

• The Agreement on Unified Customs and Tariff Regulation of January 25, 2008 (hereinafter referred to as the ETT Agreement);
• Agreement on the conditions and mechanism for the application of tariff quotas dated December 12, 2008 (hereinafter - the Agreement on tariff quotas);
• Agreement on uniform measures of non-tariff regulation in relation to third countries dated January 25, 2008 (hereinafter - Agreement on non-tariff measures);
• Agreement on the procedure for the introduction and application of measures affecting foreign trade in goods in a single customs territory in relation to third countries of June 9, 2009;
• Agreement on the rules of licensing in the field of foreign trade in goods dated June 9, 2009;
• Protocol on the conditions and procedure for applying in exceptional cases the rates of import customs duties, different from the rates of the Unified Customs Tariff, dated December 12, 2008 (hereinafter referred to as the Protocol on rates different from the CCT);
• Unified commodity nomenclature externally economic activity customs union (hereinafter - ETN VED);
• Unified customs tariff of the customs union (hereinafter - ETT);
• Protocol on the provision of tariff incentives dated December 12, 2008 (hereinafter - the Protocol on tariff incentives);
• Protocol on the unified system of tariff preferences of the customs union dated December 12, 2008 (hereinafter referred to as the Protocol on the system of tariff preferences);
• Scroll developing countries–Users of the system of tariff preferences of the customs union;
• List of least developed countries - users of the system of tariff preferences of the customs union;
• The list of goods originating and imported from developing and least developed countries, upon the import of which tariff preferences are granted (hereinafter referred to as the List of goods originating and imported from developing and least developed countries);
• The list of goods and rates in respect of which, during the transitional period, one of the member states of the customs union applies the rates of import customs duties, which are different from the rates of the Unified Customs Tariff of the customs union;
• The list of sensitive goods in respect of which the decision to change the rate of import duty is adopted by the Customs Union Commission by consensus;
• The list of goods for which tariff quotas are established from January 1, 2010, as well as the volumes of tariff quotas for the import of these goods into the territory of the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation;
• A single list of goods to which prohibitions or restrictions on import or export are applied by the member states of the Customs Union within the framework of the EurAsEC in trade with third countries and Regulations on the application of restrictions and other documents;

• Agreement on the circulation of products subject to mandatory assessment (confirmation) of conformity in the customs territory of the customs union dated December 11, 2009;
• Agreement on the Rules for Determining the Origin of Goods from Developing and Least Developed Countries of 12 December 2008;
• Agreement on mutual recognition of accreditation of certification bodies (assessment (confirmation) of conformity) and testing laboratories (centers) performing work on assessment (confirmation) of compliance dated December 11, 2009;
• The Agreement of the Customs Union on Sanitary Measures of December 11, 2009;
• The Agreement of the Customs Union on Veterinary and Sanitary Measures of December 11, 2009;
• The Agreement of the Customs Union on Plant Quarantine of December 11, 2009;
• Protocol on amendments to the Agreement on the principles of levying indirect taxes on the export and import of goods, performance of work, provision of services in the customs union dated January 25, 2008 dated December 11, 2009;
• Protocol on the procedure for levying indirect taxes and the mechanism of control over their payment when exporting and importing goods in the customs union dated December 11, 2009;
• Protocol on the procedure for levying indirect taxes when performing work, rendering services in the customs union dated December 11, 2009.

The Agreement on the Customs Code of the Customs Union dated November 27, 2009 and, accordingly, the Customs Code of the CU entered into force on July 1, 2010 for Kazakhstan and Russia, and on July 6, 2010 - for Belarus.

The structure of the unified customs legislation of the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan

In connection with the formation of the regulatory legal framework of the customs union of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia, 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 decisions of the Commission of the customs union.

According to paragraph 1 of Art. 3 TC CU customs legislation of the customs union is a four-tier system:

• TC TC;
• international agreements of the member states of the customs union governing customs legal relations;
• decisions of the Customs Union Commission;
• national customs legislation of the participating countries.

By virtue of paragraph 3 of Art. 1 of the CU TC under customs regulation, the customs legislation of the customs union is applied, in force on the day of registration customs declaration or other customs documents, with the exception of cases provided for by the Customs Code of the Customs Union.

When goods are moved across the customs border in violation of the requirements established by the customs legislation of the customs union, the customs legislation of the customs union shall apply, in effect on the day the goods actually cross the customs border.

If the day of the actual crossing of the customs border by the goods is not determined, the customs legislation of the customs union shall apply, in effect on the day the violation of the requirements established by the customs legislation of the customs union is detected.

The basic document governing customs legal relations within the customs union is the Customs Code of the CU.

International agreements establish the norms of customs regulation, which must be applied in the same way throughout the territory of the customs union. These are, first of all, the determination and control of the customs value, the rules for determining the country of origin of goods, the rules on the provision of tariff benefits and preferences, the rules for the payment of indirect taxes and some other general rules.

The Customs Union Commission makes decisions on the practical implementation of customs regulations: establishes the procedure for declaring and the form of the customs declaration; the procedure for applying customs procedures (lists of goods, terms of application of procedures); the procedure for maintaining registers of persons carrying out activities in the field of customs; defines the forms of documents for customs purposes. At the moment, there are more than 150 decisions on issues related to the competence of the Customs Union Commission.

Legal regulation of collection of import customs duties

At the present stage, the formation of the legal framework of the customs union of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia continues to ensure the free movement of goods across the territory of the participating countries, create favorable conditions for trade with third countries, and develop mutual economic integration.

By the decision of the EurAsEC Interstate Council of November 27, 2009 No. 18 "On the unified customs and tariff regulation of the customs union of the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation" unified system customs and tariff regulation of trade between Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia with third countries entered into force the Agreement on CCT; Agreement on tariff quotas; Protocol on rates other than ETT; Protocol on Tariff Benefits; Protocol on the system of tariff preferences.

CCT is a set of customs duty rates applied to goods imported into the common customs territory from third countries, systematized in accordance with the ETN VED (approved by Decision of the IGS No. 18). According to the Protocol on rates other than ETT, a higher or more low rate import customs duty in comparison with the ETT rate can be applied to goods originating from third countries, in exceptional cases on the basis of a decision of the Customs Union Commission (hereinafter - the Commission), adopted in accordance with the Protocol on rates other than the ETT.

Since the beginning of this year, the provision of tariff benefits has become possible only in the cases established by Art. 5 and paragraph 1 of Art. 6 of the ETT Agreement, as well as on the basis of decisions of the Commission adopted by consensus. In addition, Art. 5 of the ETT Agreement specifies that such privileges apply regardless of the country of origin of goods and can be expressed in exemption from import customs duties or a reduction in the rate of import customs duties. Some tariff benefits are enshrined in the Decision of the Customs Union Commission dated November 27, 2009 No. 130 "On the unified customs and tariff regulation of the customs union of the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation" (hereinafter - Decision of the CCC No. 130).

In the context of a unified system of tariff preferences of the customs union, introduced by Art. 7 of the Agreement on the ETT and the Protocol on the System of Tariff Preferences, in order to promote the economic development of developing and least developed countries in relation to goods originating from developing countries that use this system and imported into a single customs territory, the rates of import customs duties are applied in the amount of 75% of the rates established by ETT. In turn, in respect of goods originating from the least developed countries - users of the unified system of tariff preferences and imported into the unified customs territory, zero rates of import customs duties are applied. For this purpose, by Decision of the IGU No. 18, the lists of developing countries and least developed countries - users of the system of tariff preferences of the customs union, as well as the List of goods originating and imported from developing and least developed countries were approved.

The agreement on tariff quotas establishes the possibility of using tariff quotas as a measure to regulate the import into the single customs territory of certain types of agricultural goods originating from third countries, with the help of a lower import customs duty rate in comparison with the rate of import customs duty in accordance with the CCT for a certain period for a certain amount of goods (in kind or in value terms). The CCC Decision No. 130 also determined the List of goods for which tariff quotas are established from January 1, 2010, as well as the volumes of tariff quotas for the import of these goods into the territory of the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation.

According to the Customs Code of the CU, the right to choose the currency in which import customs duties can be paid is limited: now they are paid in the currency of the member state of the customs union in which they are payable and the customs authority of which releases goods, with the exception of goods released in the customs procedure of customs transit , or on the territory of which the fact of illegal movement of goods across the customs border was revealed (Article 84 of the Customs Code of the Customs Union).

Unlike the national customs legislation, the TC CU does not allow any person to pay customs duties at their own expense for the payer of customs duties. Now the payers of customs duties and taxes are the declarant or other persons on whom, in accordance with Art. 79 TC CU international treaties and (or) the legislation of the Member States of the customs union entrusted with such a duty. A declarant is a person who declares goods or on whose behalf goods are declared (Article 4 of the Customs Code of the Customs Union).

According to Art. 84 of the Customs Code of the CU, the powers to determine the form of payment of customs duties and the moment of fulfillment of the obligation to pay them (date of payment) are granted to the member state of the customs union, in which such duties are payable. Taking into account the above rule regarding the currency of payment, the possibility of paying customs duties by circulating the amounts of security for their payment deposited in foreign currency is actually limited.

In the Customs Code of the CU, tariff preferences and tariff concessions are included in the concept of “privileges on the payment of customs duties”. Goods imported to the address of one recipient from one sender according to one transport (carriage) document, the total customs value of which does not exceed the amount equivalent to 200 euros, determined at the rate in force at the time of the obligation to pay customs duties, established by law, are exempted from import customs duties a member state of the customs union, the customs authority of which releases such goods.

The TC CU provides for the possibility of changing the timing of payment of customs duties in the form of a deferral or installment plan. At the same time, the grounds, conditions and procedure for changing such terms are determined by an international agreement of the member states of the customs union, and not by national legislation. For this purpose, the Agreement on the procedure for payment of customs duties was adopted, according to which a deferral or installment plan for the payment of import customs duties may be provided in the event of damage to the payer as a result of a natural disaster; technological disaster or other circumstances force majeure; in case of delay in receipt of financing from the republican budget to the payer or payment for a state order fulfilled by him; when importing goods subject to rapid deterioration; when supplying goods under international treaties; when imported according to the list of certain types of foreign aircraft and accessories for them; when importing by organizations carrying out agricultural activities or supplying for such organizations planting or seed material, plant protection products, individual agricultural equipment, goods for animal feeding; when importing raw materials, materials, technological equipment, components, spare parts for it for use in industrial processing.

To enroll import customs duties, a single account of the authorized body of a member state of the customs union is used on the basis of the Agreement on the establishment and application in the customs union of the procedure for enrollment and distribution of import customs duties (other duties, taxes and fees that have an equivalent effect) dated May 20, 2010 ( hereinafter - Agreement on the procedure for crediting import duties). This Agreement shall enter into force on the first day of the month following the month in which the depositary will receive the last written notification through diplomatic channels about the implementation of domestic procedures by the parties.

According to Art. 89 of the Customs Code of the CU, excessively paid or collected amounts of customs duties are recognized cash the amount of which exceeds the amounts payable in accordance with the Customs Code of the CU and (or) the legislation of the Member States of the customs union and identified as specific types and amounts of customs duties in relation to specific goods. Their return (offset) is carried out in the manner and in the cases established by the legislation of the Member State of the customs union in which their payment and (or) collection was made, taking into account the specifics established by Art. 4 Agreements on the procedure for crediting import duties. The return to the payer of the amounts of overpaid (overly charged) import customs duties is carried out from the single account of the authorized body on the current day within the limits of the amounts of import customs duties received on the single account of the authorized body and credited on the reporting day, taking into account the amounts of refund of import customs duties not accepted by the national (central) bank for execution on the reporting day.

To regulate issues of mutual recognition customs authorities documents confirming the acceptance of the security for the payment of customs duties, an Agreement was adopted on certain issues of providing security for the payment of customs duties and taxes in relation to goods transported in accordance with the customs procedure of customs transit, the specifics of collecting customs duties, taxes and the procedure for transferring the collected amounts in relation to such goods from May 21, 2010.

The Customs Union is an interstate association between countries within the EAEU. The main purpose of creation is to simplify trade operations between states that are members of the association. Also, the CU participants adopted uniform customs tariffs and other regulatory measures.

The task of creating such an economic association:

• Formation of a single customs territory within the countries that entered the union.
• On the territory of the EAEU customs union, there are tariff and non-tariff restrictions regimes for trade between the member states.
• Abolition of control at internal posts on the border of countries that are part of the Customs Union.
• Application of the same type of mechanisms for regulating trade, economy. For this, measures are being introduced to harmonize the legislation of the CU members.
• Implementation and functioning of a single governing body.

As for trade relations with countries that are not members of the Customs Eurasian Economic Union, such interaction is expected with them:

1. Application of a common tariff for certain goods that enter the territory of the association.
2. Use of uniform non-tariff regulation measures.
3. Carrying out the same customs policy.
4. The use of uniform tariffs.

On this moment the most famous and long-standing is the European Customs Economic Union. Its formation began in 1958.

Members, territory and governance

At the moment, the association includes the following countries:

• Russia since July 2010
• Kazakhstan since July 2010
• Belarus since July 2010
• Armenia since October 2015
• Kyrgyzstan since May 2015

Syria and Tunisia voiced their desire to join, it was proposed to become a member of Turkey, but so far no decision has been made to join. It is clearly noticeable that participation in the bloc gives the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union the strengthening of economic relations.

The unification of the borders of the states indicated above became the basis for the formation of the customs union in question. The borders of the CU are the borders of the countries that are members of the union.

The governing bodies are one, the main 2:

1. Interstate Council. it supreme body, whose members are the heads of state and heads of government of the CU countries. It is supranational.
2. TS Commission. This department decides all issues regarding the formation of customs rules, is responsible for regulating the trade policy of states.

History of creation

The formation of the TS has become a lengthy and complex process in many respects. The countries participating in the 2019 Customs Union are those states that have managed to go through all the stages of approvals and lapping.

The process began in January 1997, when the presidents of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia and Kyrgyzstan signed an agreement “On measures to implement agreements on the Customs Union”. The need for such a consolidation arose when it became clear that the USSR as a structure fell into oblivion. Then the countries of the Customs Union (the 2019 list is proposed above) agreed to cooperate with the aim of forming and developing a united economic space within the CIS.

Interesting! The idea of ​​creating a union was formed at the beginning of 1994 by Nursultan Nazarbayev. As the basis of the CU in his vision, the community of interests of the states that were previously part of the USSR was supposed to become.

The idea of ​​forming a union assumed the unhindered movement of goods and the provision of services to all member countries. At the same time, the proposed format of economic contacts fully defended the interests of the countries of the Customs Union.

As a result, a single customs area was created without internal customs duties. Borders as such were transferred to the outer borders of the union. Ideally, trading would be greatly simplified, but in reality it did not work out so easily. at the first stage, the agreements included, among other things, the definition of the main directions of activity of each country to reinforce the union. More specifically:

1. Guaranteeing equality for the property of the vehicle.
2. Members of the Eurasian Economic Union could freely dispose of the property of the CU within the legislation of the participating countries.
3. Creation of a unified regulatory framework for state regulation of the economy.

In the same 1997, the following integration departments were formed: Interstate Council, Integration Committee.

In 1998, Tajikistan became a member of the union, and an agreement “On the Customs Union and the Common Economic Space” was signed between 5 countries. A few months later, the members of the Customs Union signed the following important documents:

• "On the formation of the Customs Union".
• "On international road communications".
• "On uniform conditions of transit through the territories of the CU member states."
• "On the interaction of energy systems."

In February 1999, an agreement was signed “On the Customs Union and the Common Economic Space”. Due to the adoption of these acts, it was possible to significantly simplify the border control procedures between the countries participating in the Eurasian Economic Union.

The following important steps are:

1. 2007 year. An agreement on a single customs territory is concluded between Belarus, Russia and Kazakhstan.
2. year 2009. The agreements that were previously signed are getting "physical form", that is, they are being implemented in practice.
3. 2010 year. The previously adopted one comes into force, the Customs Code of the Customs Union is being formed and adopted.
4. During 2011-2013, important documents are being developed that regulate the activities of the union. A unified technical regulation on product safety appears among the most important.

2014-2015 were marked by the replenishment of the list of countries of the Eurasian Economic Union (for 2017 it is also relevant) by Armenia and Kyrgyzstan. In the future, the union will expand, at the moment Tunisia and Syria have expressed a desire to join, but so far the matter has not gone beyond the talks and the composition remains the same.

In 2019, the previously adopted EAEU Customs Code came into force.

You will learn about the new Customs Code of the Customs Union in 2019 from our article. Go to.

Distribution of customs duties

The United Customs Union naturally receives duties for crossing the borders of the union, import / export of goods. The association has adopted a scheme for the distribution of these incomes between the member countries. The structure is like this:

• Russia receives 85.33% of total revenues.
• Kazakhstan - 7.11%.
• Belarus - 4.55%.
• Kyrgyzstan - 1.9%.
• Armenia - 1.11%.

As you can see, taxes are distributed according to seniority, that is, the earlier the country became a member of the association, the more larger size income from duties she can calculate.

At the moment, there is a period of formation of the CU, so the EU customs union has passed a long period of 30 years before the moment of absolute formation.

Goals, directions

When creating a detailed economic space, the main goal was socio-economic progress. As a result, one of the main promising goals was to increase the turnover of services of the participating countries. This moment was first realized between the participants through the following actions:

1. Implementation general requirements and the adoption of safety standards for domestic economies and associations in general.
2. Abolition of procedures at the internal customs of the countries of the union. Due to this, the goods of the countries of the Eurasian Economic Community have become more accessible and attractive.
3. Increase in turnover due to the above measures.

At the moment, that very desired increase in trade turnover is not taking place, although new agreements are regularly adopted. True, the simplification of trade was not so significant, the competitive conditions were improved.

Technical regulation

Technical regulation in the Customs Union is aimed at achieving the following goals and objectives:

• Reducing the pressure on the manufacturer - both economic and administrative.
• Formation of two-tier regulatory documentation, which helps to make the relationship in the market clearer and clearer.
• Increasing the level of protection of markets against hazardous products.
• Empowering companies to choose a commercial solution. At the same time, double certification and duplication of other procedures are excluded.
• Elimination of technical barriers for members of the Eurasian Customs Union.
• Stimulating economic development in various ways.

As for the principles of technical regulation in the customs union, there are the following basic principles:

1. Establishment of a single technical regulation for the participating countries, regarding products and goods.
2. Implementation of policies that are agreed with each country regarding technical regulation.
3. Until the entry of the TR of the Eurasian Economic Union of the EAEU, the national legislation in this area is in effect.

Benefits of participating in the TS

At the moment, not all countries of the EAEU Union have joined the CU, each has its own reasons. But the main advantages of participating in such an association should be highlighted:

• A significant reduction in costs for: processing, transportation of goods within the Union.
• Reduction of bureaucratic procedures, and as a result, and time costs when transporting goods across the territory of the Customs Union.
• Reducing the number that must be passed to travel with cargo to third countries.
• The Customs Union in 2019 will provide new sales markets.
• Simplification of legislation due to its unification.

Contradictions, problems, or why the vehicle does not work as planned

As each country strives to preserve and support its economy, it is not surprising that friction and difficulties often arise. It is “convenient” to apply certain sanctions through non-tariff regulation methods, which is what is happening. Although the countries of the customs union with Russia have already "made friends" in the period 2018-2019, there were many problems earlier.

One of the most difficult conflicts between the Russian Federation and Belarus, when in 2014 Russia completely banned the export of meat. At that time, it was 400 thousand tons. At the same time, there was a tightening of control of goods that cross the border of Belarus, although in fact, according to the norms of the Customs Code of the Customs Union, it is impossible to strengthen control measures.

The reaction of the President of the country participating in the Customs Union was not long in coming - Belarus returned border control on the border with the Russian Federation. The conflict has become a real problem, because Belarus announced its intention to abandon the ruble in settlements and return to dollars. As a result, the idea of ​​a customs union was greatly shaken - the member states of the Eurasian Economic Union felt insecure in this format of relations.

Output

In the future, the economic union of the Customs Union has a chance for active development and the implementation of all the declared benefits. While the process of becoming is taking place, in general view the most interested participants are the neighbors of the Russian Federation, which, upon joining, will receive more favorable conditions for the purchase of gas and oil. The declared simplification of trade has not yet been observed.

Video: Customs Union 2019

The EAEU Customs Union is positioned as a form of interstate integration. It is a union of trade and economic relations of its member countries. Today these include Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan.
The Customs Union (CU) assumes the creation of a single customs territory for the implementation of mutually beneficial trade cooperation. Its total area today is more than 20 million km². The countries that are members of the union carry out joint actions in the field of customs policy, including regulating trade relations with other countries, showing collective agreed protectionism towards them.
Within the territory of the CU, customs duties on all goods sold by the participating countries have been canceled, that is, duty-free trade is carried out. There are no economic restrictions between the states, however, protective measures of a compensatory and anti-dumping nature still exist.
For third-party states, the Customs Union establishes uniform customs tariffs (ETT), and also applies other measures of customs regulation in relation to them in the field of foreign trade policy.
The main goal of the CU is to promote the growth and development of the economies of those states that are part of this union. With his formation, a common market was formed with a population of more than 17 million people and a combined GDP of almost $ 3 trillion.

Members of the Customs Union

The founders of the EAEU Customs Union and its first participants were Russia and the Republic of Kazakhstan, united in the field of trade and economic relations on July 1, 2010.And on the 6th, they adopted the Customs Code of the CU, which defined the borders of these states and Belarus as a single customs territory, which on that day joined the Customs Union.
Since January 2, 2015, Armenia has become a full member of the international community, having signed an agreement on joining the Customs Union in October 2014.
In addition, Kyrgyzstan became a member of this customs union last year. On May 8, in Moscow, documents were signed on the entry of Kyrgyzstan into the EAEU, and on August 12, the state officially joined the Customs Union.
In addition to the current CU member states, there are also so-called candidates for membership. These are Syria, which announced its intention to join the union back in 2013, and Tunisia, which also expressed a desire to join (2015).

Governing bodies

The main governing body of the Customs Union is officially considered the Eurasian Economic Commission, abbreviated as EEC. She coordinates foreign economic relations and the implementation of an agreed foreign trade policy.
The Commission was established on November 18, 2011 by the decision of the heads of 3 states: Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan. The main documents by which it is guided in carrying out its activities are considered the agreement "On the Eurasian Economic Commission" and the agreement on the rules of procedure of the EEC.
As a supranational governing body, the EEC is subordinate to the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council. All decisions of the Commission are recognized as binding on the territory of all countries that are members of the Customs Union (and not only).

History of the Customs Union

1995 - The heads of state of Russia and Belarus (later joined by Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan) signed the first agreement on the creation of the Customs Union. However, this became only a prerequisite for the formation of the CU, since in reality it was transformed into the EAEU.
2007 - In October (6th) in the capital of Tajikistan, in Dushanbe, the leaders of 3 countries - Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus - signed an important agreement regarding the creation of a Common Customs Territory and the formation of the Customs Union.
2009 - Leaders of countries and heads of government adopted and ratified about four dozen international treaties, which became the fundamental documents of the Customs Union. On November 28, Minsk hosted a meeting of the presidents of three states, at which it was decided to create a Common Customs Space on the territory of Russia, the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Republic of Belarus from January 1, 2010.
2010 - In January, a single customs tariff for the three states began to operate. In the spring of this year, the leaders of the participating countries could not agree among themselves on some issues related to the Customs Union, and as a result, the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation announced the possibility of the CU to start functioning without the participation of Belarus. Since the beginning of July, a unified Customs Code (TC) has come into force for the member countries of the Customs Union (including Belarus).
2011 - customs control at the internal borders of the union states was canceled. It was moved outside of the countries that make up the CU. Earlier, a decision was made on the same transfer of transport control from the internal borders of Russia and Belarus. Migration control and border control remained.

Basic Provisions

Export goods not subject to VAT. And if the fact of export is documented, then the exporting country is also exempted from paying excise duties, or the amount paid is reimbursed to them.
When importing goods into Russia from the Republic of Belarus and Kazakhstan, value added tax and excise taxes are deducted in tax authorities RF.
When performing work and providing any services by foreigners on the territory of Russia, the taxation procedure (including the tax base, basic rates, benefits or complete release from tax payment) is determined by Russian law.
According to the agreements within the CU and the CES, Russia collects 85.33% of the amount of import customs duties in its budget, Kazakhstan deducts 7.11%, Belarus 4.55%, Kyrgyzstan 1.9%, Armenia 1.11% ...

Liberalization of trade relations

According to Sergei Naryshkin, Speaker of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, about forty countries of the world want to become bilateral participants in the market related to the free trade zone (abbreviated FTA) with the EAEU. The following agreements are in force today:
With Serbia
Free trade regime between Russia and Serbia was established in 2000.
In 2009, Belarus signed a free trade agreement with Serbia.
Kazakhstan established a free foreign trade regime with Serbia in 2010.
With CIS countries
In October 2011, most of the former Commonwealth countries, with the exception of Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan, put their signatures to the FTA Agreement. The date of entry into force of the document for Belarus, Ukraine and Russia is September 20, 2012. These states were the first to ratify the treaty.
With the World trade organization
Despite the initial fears about possible contradictions between the rules of the Customs Union and the WTO, by the end of 2011 everything was in perfect order, and the main provisions of the CU fully complied with the standards of the World Trade Organization.
The main provisions of the WTO were recognized as having a higher priority in relation to the rules and regulations of the Customs Union. Thus, in connection with the entry into the WTO of the Russian Federation in August 2012, the Unified Customs Tariff, which is in effect for the CU member states, was slightly changed, since the new obligations of Russia to the World Trade Organization were taken into account. At the same time, import duties remained virtually unchanged.

Possible expansion of the vehicle

Official representatives of the states that are part of the Customs Union have repeatedly pointed to the openness of the association for other interested countries to join it. First of all, this concerns the former CIS republics and the EurAsEC states.
Former CIS countries that have not joined the EurAsEC
- Azerbaijan
In 2012, the head of the Azerbaijan Customs Committee A. Aliyev announced that the state did not intend to join the Customs Union. At the same time, the Chairman of the State Duma of the Russian Federation S. Naryshkin, returning after a regular visit from Baku, confirmed the fact that Azerbaijan is not discussing the issue of its entry into the CU. However, according to him, the republic is closely watching the international integration project.
- Tajikistan
In 2010, the President of Tajikistan announced that the state is seriously considering the issue of its entry into the Customs Union. However, in 2012, there was still no progress in resolving this issue. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the republic explained the inaction by the fact that the authorities are actively studying the possible benefits of joining the CU, and if Kyrgyzstan joins the union, then Tajikistan’s confidence in the expediency of joining the Customs Union will strengthen.
- Uzbekistan
At the end of 2011, I. Karimov, the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, expressed his opinion on the EAEU Customs Union. He drew attention to the fact that this form of international integration may well go beyond the framework of trade and economic interests. And then, in his opinion, it is highly likely that the member countries of this association will begin to pursue personal political interests. This, in turn, can provide Negative influence for cooperation of CU members with other partners not participating in the Customs Union, but with whom strong ties have already been established. At the same time, Karimov pointed out that the republic may be interested in international associations that help attract innovative technologies to the country's economy.
Former CIS countries that have entered into an Association Agreement with the EU
- Moldova
The 2014 parliamentary elections showed the following results: about 45% of voters supported Moldova's accession to the European Union, voting for democratic and liberal-minded parties of the republic, and about 40% of voters supported the rapprochement of the state with the Russian Federation, casting their votes to the socialist and communist parties... At the same time, the socialists intended to terminate the agreement between Moldova and the European Union and planned to facilitate the entry of the republic into the CU. That did not happen.
- Ukraine
In 2012, Russia for the first time offered Ukraine to become a member of the Customs Union. From the point of view of expediency, this would be beneficial for the country, because Ukraine's accession to the CU would allow it to receive supplies of Russian gas and oil at reduced tariffs. However, the Ukrainian parliament rejected all proposals of the Russian Federation on Eurasian integration in favor of the European Union. Ukraine limited itself to participation in the Customs Union only as an observer country. However, the subsequent political crisis in the country led to the fact that the head of state was removed from power in 2014 (V. Yanukovych was the president at that time), and the new government concluded an agreement on cooperation and association with the European Union.
Republics unrecognized and partially recognized former countries CIS
Among the republics partially recognized by friendly states, Abkhazia announced its intention to join the ranks of the members of the Customs Union (16.02.2010) and South Ossetia(15.10.2013). Among the states unrecognized by the Commonwealth, the following republics announced their desire to join the CU: Pridnestrovian Moldavian (16.02.2012), DPR and LPR (2014).
Countries outside the CIS and EurAsEC
- Syria
In February 2013, Syrian Minister Muhammad Zafer Mhabbak announced the intention of the country's government in the near future to begin negotiations with the Customs Union on Syria's accession to it.
- Tunisia
Most recently (2015), Tunisia also announced its desire to soon become a member of the EAEU Customs Union. This became known from the words of the Tunisian Ambassador to 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 members 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, agreed 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;
• 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 the 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 continues 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 speed and the results were constantly going on throughout the described period. Gradually led to general norms legislation and customs tariffs in trade with third countries.

Objectives of the Customs Union and their implementation

The immediate goal of the Customs Union was to increase the sales 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 the 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 joint protection domestic market CU, creating 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 the best way affected the importing enterprises and the population.

Contradictions in the TS

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 and during the Soviet period it had its own specialization, 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. The economic 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.

In the same time Russian economy until the end of 2014 successfully grew due to high, gas and other raw materials. This gave the Russian Federation financial opportunities to finance integration processes. This course of action may not have promised a speedy economic benefits, but assumed the growth of 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 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 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 to domestic prices for energy resources 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, which 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, inspections by sanitary control services continue at 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 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 on the 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 of not only state institutions, but also business entities within the CU to fill the agreed uniform rules with economic content.

The Eurasian Economic Union is 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, 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 for the entry of other countries. Negotiations are already underway with some countries to join the Customs Union, so it is likely that soon the territory of the Customs Union will 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 few 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 assessment (confirmation) of conformity in the territory of the Customs Union;
• Agreement on the 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 specialists of the Eurasian Economic Commission:

Eurasian Economic Commission Brochure (PDF, 3.4 MB)

Member States of the Customs Union

The Customs Union (CU) is an official association based on the agreement of the participating countries on the abolition of customs borders between them, and, accordingly, the abolition of duties. Also, the basis for the functioning of the union is the use of a single tariff for all other states. As a result, the Customs Union created a huge single customs territory, within which goods move without the cost of crossing customs borders.

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

Russia

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

Kazakhstan

For Kazakhstan, participation in the Customs Union is, first of all, good because it allowed it to enter the union, which gives a total of up to 16% of world grain exports. Working in the same field, Kazakhstan and Russia were able to significantly influence the world grain market, changing its conditions in their favor. In addition, the rapidly developing agricultural industry of Kazakhstan in this way managed to significantly strengthen its positions in the Russian Federation and other countries of the association.

Belarus

For Belarus, which has long been partially integrated with Russia into a single customs and economic field, participation in the CU allowed expanding the geography of preferential supplies of its products to several more countries, and also increased the inflow of investments, in particular from Kazakhstan. According to experts' forecasts, participation in the Customs Union brings Belarus up to $ 2 billion of 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 as a variety of alliances 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, 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 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 Indo-European peoples include the Slavs, Armenians, Ossetians, Tajiks, etc.), 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 to unite this important geopolitical region on the basis of agriculture and industrial production, while the Eurasian traditions of cattle-breeding and nomadic economy were largely preserved. The disintegration of the USSR in the 1990s disrupted the established economic ties, which led to a deep and long-term socio-economic crisis, from which some post-Soviet states have not yet emerged. It is quite typical that the collapse Soviet Union Kazakhstan and some other Asian republics of the USSR opposed to the greatest extent.

The initiator of the Eurasian reintegration can rightfully be considered the President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, who presented in March 1994 the project of the Eurasian Union, which at the first stage was to include Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan. However, at that time, destructive political processes in the post-Soviet space were still too strong, and full 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- the agreements 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 abolished 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, a 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 order, 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.

• 12 August 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] Levels of integration

[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 operational 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 simply referred to 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 members of 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, then further destiny integration with Moldova depends on the development of the internal situation in this country.
  • Gagauzia- in a referendum held in 2014, she spoke in favor of joining the Customs Union. It should be noted that the Gagauz autonomy is not an independent country either de jure or de facto. It is an autonomous republic within Moldova.

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

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

• Abkhazia- On February 16, 2010, she informally announced her desire to join the Customs Union.

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

• Donetsk People's Republic

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

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

Former potential candidates

• Ukraine- according to its long-standing tradition, the Ukrainian leadership tried to sit on two chairs at the same time, drawing closer to both the European Union and the Customs Union, but the CU member states made it clear that such a development of events was unacceptable. Currently, the issue of joining the Customs Union has stalled due to 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 destroying and in many ways has already destroyed 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, the 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 exceptions 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 Atambayev.

[edit] FTA under negotiation

• Egypt- the application was submitted on May 27, 2015.
• Thailand- On April 1, 2016, Russia and Thailand began negotiations on the creation of a free trade zone.
• Iran- negotiations began in 2015.
• Mongolia- will begin the stage of negotiations on a free trade zone and possible accession from autumn 2016.
• Serbia- negotiates the creation of an FTA with the EAEU

[edit] Expressed interest in cooperation

[edit] What does joining the EAEU give

The EAEU is intended 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 reaction

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 preventing 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 proportions.

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

Countries of the Customs Union: list

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

Prime ministers were represented at the level of heads of government:

• 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 opinions of the members of the union, is a priority for any country.

Benefits and prospects

First of all, the benefits are obvious for those enterprises that can easily make purchases in neighboring countries. Most likely, these will only be large corporations and companies. As for the prospects for the future, contrary to some forecasts of economists that the Customs Union will entail a decrease in the level of wages in the participating countries, at the official level, the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan announced the increase of salaries in the state in 2015.

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

Contract

The final version of the Agreement on the Customs Code of the CU was adopted only at the tenth meeting, on 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 of the 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 contact 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 more wide range relationships in the freedom of movement of labor, capital, services and goods. There should also be a coordinated and coordinated 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.

The working language for the regulations of all documents has become Russian, 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 supreme 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.

Regulated in the document and 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 a coordinated agro-industrial policy is envisaged, which includes the mandatory formation of veterinary and phytosanitary measures.

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 the member state of the Union is also being resolved.

Expert opinions

The list of countries of the Customs Union in the near future may be replenished with several more states, but, according to experts, in order for full growth and influence on Western similar unions like the EU (European Union) to be noticeable, a lot of work and expansion of the organization is needed. In any case, the ruble will not be able to become an alternative to the euro or the dollar for a long time, and the impact of recent sanctions has clearly shown how Western politics can work to please their interests, and 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 pursued by all kinds 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 rapid 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. One more distinctive feature is the equality of citizens of the customs area during employment.

Members

In 2017, the Customs Union consists of the following members of the EAEU:

• Republic of Armenia (since 2015);
• Republic of Belarus (since 2010);
• Republic of Kazakhstan (since 2010);
• Kyrgyz Republic (since 2015);
• Russian Federation (since 2010).

The desire to become a party to this agreement was voiced by Syria and Tunisia. In addition, it is known about the proposal to include Turkey in the CU agreement. However, to date, no specific procedures have been adopted for the entry of these states into the ranks of the Union.

It can be clearly seen that the functioning of the Customs Union is 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) concluded an agreement on the approval of the Customs Union. Later, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan also entered this group.

More than 10 years later, in 2007, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia signed a pact to unite their territories into a single customs region and to approve the Customs Union.

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

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

On July 1, 2011, the current customs control at the borders between countries was canceled and common rules were established at the borders with states that are not in the 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 Eurasian Economic Union is managed and coordinated by two organs:

1. Interstate Council- the supreme body of a supranational character, consists of the heads of state and the heads of government of the Customs Union.
2. 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 future, 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:

1. 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.
2. Increasing trade turnover through the abolition of customs controls at internal borders.
3. Adoption of uniform requirements and integration of security standards.

Achieving goals and prospects

Having collected the available information about the origin and activity 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 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 many more changes affecting the world market and the division of labor.

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

All the time leading positions in the process of integration and stabilization of the EAEU and the Customs Union played 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.

In addition, the standards adopted at the CU level were unified with the WTO model, despite the fact that Belarus is not part 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. At various times, virtually every party to the agreement expressed disagreement with the terms of the agreements.

Although the 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 lack of trusting relationship in practice 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 CU have been achieved. This is evident from the decrease in the turnover of goods within the customs area. There are also no benefits for economic development when compared to the time before the agreements were signed.

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

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

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

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